The Bones of Seven Men
by Frog-kun
Summary: Well, whaddya know? Turns out Bankotsu had a son.
1. I Chokotsu

This story is dedicated to kittyb78 for your support of this story and convincing me to upload it. You're the best!

**_Part One  
Walking in the shadow of God_**

**Chapter 1 Chokotsu**

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Chokotsu, son of the almost-legendary mercenary leader of the Band of Seven, Bankotsu. I am not sure what I think when I hear my father's name. I had never seen him or even heard him speak, but his presence in my life shaped its course from top-to-bottom. Sometimes, I wonder how I might have lived if my father was just a normal person. Even if he had played a role as Bankotsu in my upbringing (none, as he wasn't even there), I am sure I would have been a different person. Whether that would have been a good change is something I will never know. So I will dwell no more on it.

My mother never got tired of telling me the story of my and Tsubame's birth. When she was fourteen, she met a then sixteen-year-old Bankotsu on a visit to a feudal lord's castle; both he and she were children of high-born noblemen, and apparently, what resulted of this meeting was love at first sight. Or so mother said. The way I saw it, Bankotsu got pretty sick of her after sleeping with her a couple of times and left her for the thrill of a mercenary life.

"Ah, he broke my heart that scoundrel," mother would say in her dramatic way, dabbing her eyes with the sleeve of her kimono; although, after so many retellings, the emotional impact did fade slightly. "I honestly loved him but he could never be satisfied by the quiet, rich life. He wanted to kill, and I could not stop him doing so."

"Well, he sounds like a perfectly rotten person," Tsubame once told mother. "Why on earth would you want to have babies with a murderer?"

"It wasn't like that," mother said, shaking her head. "He was a beautiful person once you got to know him a bit. He just hated to be tied down by anything, and I was only making him unhappy by clinging to him. So I let go."

Mother, of course, hadn't foreseen that her little affair with Bankotsu might get her pregnant. She was naïve and she didn't have the heart to try and find Bankotsu so he could take a share of the responsibility. It couldn't have been very hard to contact him. Bankotsu had formed the Band of Seven and had become a very renowned fighter, although he never went back to mother. Not a word reached him when she gave birth to twins - Tsubame and I. Or maybe something did reach him, but Bankotsu soon afterwards died at the height of his career.

"My father and the other lords conspired to kill him," mother said sorrowfully, "Because the Band of Seven had become too powerful. It took a whole army to take down those seven, brave men. Once that happened, I feared for your unborn lives, so I left the castle."

I personally could never get away from my father. Even though he was dead, Bankotsu's deeds struck terror in the hearts of so many villagers that none made friends with me. It didn't help that I grew up looking exactly like Bankotsu, or at least, how mother said Bankotsu looked like. My hair fell long and Tsubame liked tying it into a braid. My skin became tanned because I spent too much time in the sun, playing games by myself. But, I suppose, I enjoyed the way other people were in awe of me. It certainly boosted my ego.

I had never told anyone about it, not even Tsubame, but like my father, I too liked killing. Not people, certainly not. At least, not yet. But I did love to catch small animals, squeeze the life out of them and watch them perish. It gave me a savage sense of superiority over other beings and that boosted my ego as well. People expected me to become a killer like Bankotsu and I did not disappoint. That was not my way.

Tsubame was different. Although she was given a certain amount of discretion like I was, no one would ever expect she was the daughter of a murderer. She was always loving, full of energy and laughing, not like I, who was, according to the villagers, "arrogant and indifferent to the suffering of others".

Mother told me that there were two sides to Bankotsu: The first side was like me: Calm, deadly and confident. The other side was like Tsubame: Warm, child-like and naïve. I had a feeling that mother loved the side of Bankotsu that was Tsubame more than mine. She loved to stay indoors with Tsubame and teach her lessons with needlework and writing, although I never received the same attention. I withdrew into myself, telling myself that I was destined for better things than Tsubame was. Perhaps I too might start a mercenary band just like my father. That thought gave me comfort and I practised sword-fighting at a very young age.

Don't get me wrong: I loved Tsubame. She alone was the one person who was not frightened of me. Many a day we spent together, although she loved the indoors and I loved the outdoors. We confided in each other and were closer than most siblings are. I think Tsubame saw me as a god and worshiped me; her existence was entirely devoted to my well-being. And I called her weak and pulled her hair! I looked down at her for fawning over me, but I felt an obligation to protect her, since she was my own little sister and I loved her more than life itself.

There was one time, when we were about eight years old, some of the village boys started picking on Tsubame. When I saw her, she was crying, not because they had struck her, but because they had said, "Well, aren't you going to hit us back like your murdering father or your violent brother?" Tsubame couldn't, of course; she was much too gentle; much, much too gentle.

When I told Tsubame that I would make those villains pay retribution for what they had done to her, she only cried harder and begged me, "Don't do it! That's just what they want you to do. Please don't! It's better to forgive."

I remember thinking, if my father was like Tsubame, he must have worked hard to keep that part of his nature suppressed. Whoever heard of a mercenary talking of forgiveness?

Obviously, I didn't listen to Tsubame. I said, "I'll kill anyone who dares try to hurt those who are close to me!"

And I think I would have killed those boys, too, if the adults had not smelled a rat and held me back. For the first time in my life, I saw true fear in the eyes of others; before, my violent nature was long held in suspicion but now the fact was confirmed. For the thing was, I was not angry when I started torturing the boys: I was calm as I did it nice and slow, and I enjoyed every minute of their pain. I was psychotic; I was… evil. Aged eight I could break the bones of those I fought and ensure my enemies lived in much physical agony. I was born to be a killer.

My mother was terrified of me: I could see it in her eyes. But the strange thing was: The more violent I grew, the more Tsubame grew attached to me. She never tried to change me, either; she loved me for who I was. I could not understand that girl. Didn't she know I was vermin, not to be associated with?

I think I started to hate myself. I tried desperately to stop myself from violence but I couldn't do it. I began to realise that I needed someone who understood me, who understood why I needed to kill in order to feel happy. It was a guilty pleasure and I knew it. Tsubame, who was a kind and sweet girl, was good company but I wanted something else.

And in a flash, it hit me: I needed my father.

Pity he was dead.

At that time, mother became bedridden from a recent illness. Tsubame and I got it too but not as badly as mother did. Before our eyes, her face grew pale and her eyes became bright with the shine I later associated with death. When she looked at me, there was no longer fear in her, but something else altogether which I cannot describe. Perhaps looking at me reminded her of Bankotsu and during her last days, her old love for him came back to haunt or perhaps comfort her. For she faced her mortality without a murmur. But I figured this out later.

I was only ten when mother started dying, but I knew the end result already, because death was my acquaintance. Tsubame, though… she seemed to think people live forever or something like that and she kept telling me that mother simply could not die. She refused to believe. I told her she was a fool for getting hopeful and it would only be more painful for her in the end. Tsubame sniffed very pathetically and asked me that, if it was true that mother was to die, would she be happy in the afterlife?

"Don't be an idiot," I replied. "There is no afterlife."

In truth, I was rather afraid that, should there be an afterlife, I would go below rather than above. So I became a hypocrite and refused to believe in what I didn't want to believe in.

Tsubame clung closer to me in those dark days and cried more than ever. I… never learnt how to cry. Killers aren't supposed to. I suppose I displayed my grief by being more violent than ever, so much so that no one would even dare look at me. It was only a matter of time, they reasoned, before I would be out to kill them all in their beds. It was pathetic to reason that, since I would rather not kill men so weak.

Meanwhile mother's state grew even worse, and Tsubame started tending to the household in her steed. (She was a good little housewife, Tsubame was.) On the night before she died, mother called me to her bed in a very tired voice, and I knew then that her end was nigh.

"What is it, mother?" I asked her, frowning.

"Chokotsu," mother returned, coughing weakly into her white hand, "I want you to know that I have…" (Cough) "Always loved you as much as Tsubame, despite what you may think."

I didn't answer; I wanted her to continue.

"Chokotsu," mother began again, "I loved both sides of Bankotsu equally; I realise that now. Please, don't think ill of me." Tears were starting to stream down her eyes. "I love you, Chokotsu, I was only afraid you might leave me as Bankotsu did, and I'm sorry, so, so sorry." She started sobbing. "When I am gone, Chokotsu, I want you to do as you must in the world, but please, take care of Tsubame. She is your sister and loves you so much. Oh, please, Chokotsu!" And she could not speak because she was crying too hard.

I gently laid a hand on her and said softly, "Go to sleep, mother. You'll feel better in the morning."

At length, mother's sobs subsided and she closed her eyes and laid her head back on the pillow. "Thank you, Chokotsu," she murmured brokenly. She said something else but her voice was so low I did not catch it. I watched her for a few minutes until her breathing became even and I knew she was asleep. Then I got up silently and left the room, so as not to disturb my peaceful mother.

She never woke from that sleep.

I was a changed person when I touched mother's cold hand the next morning. I think I can say confidently that when I was ten, I ceased being a boy and became a man. I did not cry at the quiet funeral, and I buried mother myself. As I covered her clammy, lifeless body with dirt, I said, "Well, that's that, mother. I hope you had a good life. I don't expect we shall ever meet again."

"Oh, how can you say that, Chokotsu?" Tsubame sobbed, for she was quite distraught.

I sighed heavily, leaning on the spade as I stared into the blank expanse of the sky. "Now why should you ever see your loved ones after you die? It's pointless; they've served their purpose already." I looked back at Tsubame. "We've got to think about our present situation, Tsubame. We're orphans now and we've got to fend for ourselves. Got any ideas?"

The teary-eyed Tsubame shook her head.

"I would like to become a mercenary some day," I said.

Tsubame blinked. "L… Like Bankotsu?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied, "like Bankotsu. But to do it, I must become stronger, much stronger."

"Then," said Tsubame, drawing closer to me, "I will help you, big brother. I don't know how but I will." There were still tears in her eyes, but those beautiful, blue orbs showed now a fierce resolve. And instantly, I felt my affection for her magnify, if that was possible.

"All right, Tsubame," I said. "I'll find something for you to do." And I truly meant it.

That's where it began, I would say. All dreams, all ambitions, they all take root somewhere. Perhaps it was Bankotsu who truly started it all, but what I do know is that I never felt a stronger desire to fight and be a man at any time before then. Sure, I had a fancy for it, but now I was determined to carry out my wishes.

Two orphans, all alone in the world, ready to start on the journey of a life-time. I knew I was at the very beginning of a long and dangerous path filled with ups and downs. But hell, I was gonna have fun. Risking one's life was inevitably like that.


	2. I Aikotsu

I hope you have watched _InuYasha_ episodes 110 and 111 before reading this. Heavy references to those two eps in this chapter.

**Chapter 2 Aikotsu**

Mother's death had certainly shaken my existence and Tsubame's; and no sooner had we settled back into a comfortable routine did another big event our lives, and this particular happening was a lot more alarming in nature!

First, let me say that a few months after Tsubame and I were born, our father Bankotsu, mercenary leader of the Band of Seven, was beheaded along with his companions. They were ambushed by the men of the feudal lords and once they were killed, their bodies were dumped in an area known as the Seven Man Mound. The lords kept Bankotsu's mighty halberd Banryu inside their castle. I once went to see it and hear whether the legends about its sheer size were true but the guards would not admit me past their doors. So I got Tsubame to look at it for me (for the lass resembled our poor, departed mother and so did not appear a threat) and she reported the legends _were _true and the Banryu was massive.

"And the best thing about it," she declared happily, "is that they have kept polishing the weapon for the day you will use it, dear brother!"

I could not help but smile at Tsubame; she would do anything for me, thought I was perfect. She truly was a good little sister.

I did not want to start being a mercenary without Banryu. Having it in possession would boost my already fearsome reputation as a fighter; even if it turned out I couldn't actually wield the halberd. But I was at an impasse: The lords had the blade and they would not be willing to let it go.

As it turned out, I was not the only one desiring Banryu.

One day, Tsubame told me what the villagers were talking about in hushed whispered. "They say the phantoms of the Band of Seven are walking this earth again!" she squealed in an excited tone. "Guess that means we'll meet father at last, then!"

I was stunned. "This is unreal," I said. "I don't believe it." But then I said, "I have to see if this is true."

Anyone believed a tale in those days; even now, superstition overcomes fact. If the rumour went around that the Band of Seven had been resurrected, then the Band of Seven _had_ been resurrected. And who was I, a mere scrap of a boy (for I was short for my age) to contest common knowledge?

With the eagerness of young children, Tsubame and I hastily set off to look for the spectres and of course, we travelled the countryside for days with little success. Here and there, we found traces of an occasional carnage: Fallen bodies of dead soldiers, trees that had been uprooted. But there was a problem in that we couldn't detect any trails which the phantoms might have used. We didn't even know what they looked like; we wouldn't have recognised them if they had bitten us on the arse. I knew I resembled Bankotsu with my hair style and skin tone, but that was about it. In short, our journey had lead to nothing and we were forced to return to the village when our supplies ran out. It was probably a good thing that we were forced to quit because I had I had given no thought on what I should do if I did meet the phantoms. I only realised when it was too late that I had put Tsubame in a position of danger. If those phantoms could have seen how weak and frail she was…

But I digress. All I wanted to do was see my father and I paid little heed to anything else. I had been overcome by a desire for a fairytale ending – meet up with my long-lost father and form my own mercenary band with him – that I did not think of a back-up plan. That was not how mercenaries were. I had to do better in the future. Tsubame was, of course, not as hard on me as I was on myself but she did tell me we ought to think of something else to do. And so we came back, still deep in thought and contemplating ideas. On the way, we passed through the castle and we never expected what we saw.

I cannot describe it; it was just so… beautiful. So much blood and death; never had I seen such a widespread manslaughter. The buildings were completely wrecked and all was still; the wind had died. There had been evidence of a meticulous fight at the west walls where a section of it had been blown apart, probably by a siege weapon. Oddly enough, just by the collapsed wall lay a mass of rotting tentacles, which smelled like water and flowers.

To me, beholding this sight of destruction was like examining the paintings of a wonderful artist. I could appreciate every masterly stroke of the brush, adding in little details here and there that added to the full impact of the scene. For instance, all of the people had been killed in an overly-violent manner. Perhaps their eyes had been gouged out by claws or they were burned alive. In many cases, limbs were hacked off and the heads were also popular when on the ground. The expressions on many of these mangled heads were pure joy to look at: Many depicted blind terror, which was what I liked to see in my own victims.

Tsubame had been oddly quiet as we surveyed our surroundings, but suddenly she exclaimed, "Look! A scroll!" It was tattered and stained with blood, but it was still readable. "Here, read it," Tsubame said excitedly as she pressed the scroll into my hand.

"You read it," I told her. "You're the one who's studied this sort of thing." The most I could read was my own name in Japanese writing.

"Uh… okay," said Tsubame, smiling foolishly. I had a feeling she hadn't studied this sort of thing _very well. _"This kanji means baboon and this one means melon and I think this one means wisdom and, uh…"

"It says," said an unknown voice behind us, "The time has come to settle our score. Our vengeance knows no bounds. So prepare to die."

"So much for baboons and wisdom," Tsubame muttered cheerfully.

I, instead, swung around to face the newcomer, being quite surprised that someone had managed to sneak up on me, naturally. "Who are you?" I demanded, showing my fists.

"My name is Aikotsu," replied the stranger. He was a very quaint fellow around my age, dressed in too many robes so that he must have been suffocating underneath the blazing sun. There were strange markings on his face, like stripes, and I took the markings to mean 'victory'. I could tell Aikotsu had a very scrawny body beneath his robes by the way his face was slightly pinched and his hands very little, although he was taller than I was. I liked the look of this fellow and showed it by grinning at him and Tsubame, noticing my cordiality, promptly leaned forward and eagerly bowed in Aikotsu's direction.

"You're quite a charming little maiden," Aikotsu remarked amiably as he bowed back in Tsubame's direction. "What's your name?" he asked her inquisitively, taking hold of her hand.

Tsubame opened her mouth to reply but I cut her off, hastily introducing ourselves to Aikotsu. In truth, I didn't like the idea of a boy making moves on my sister, especially since she had no idea what a male's intentions were 99 percent of the time. "Aikotsu, you mentioned something about vengeance from that scroll; what does it mean?"

"It's pretty simple," Aikotsu laughed. Then he stopped and looked me directly in the face. I could see an explanation was coming. "That scroll was written by the members of the Band of Seven; it clearly indicates who it's from." He bowed his head.

"So it's true," I said, smirking. "Bankotsu has returned."

"Yes," said Aikotsu. "It was also written on the scroll that the purpose of this visit was to reclaim a certain treasure from the castle."

I breathed, "Banryu."

"Right again," Aikotsu remarked. "You're good at the guessing game."

"Heh." I shrugged noncommittally. "Well, why don't we check out the castle and make sure? Then we can decide what to do from there."

Aikotsu have me an appraising look. "You're a leader born, you know that?" He laughed dryly.

I shrugged again. Then I tilted my head back in Tsubame's direction. "Hey, sis, you coming?" I asked languidly, noting that Tsubame was on the ground humming and picking flowers.

"Yes, big brother!" she exclaimed, tripping over her feet in her zeal. Dusting herself a little, she finished the short sprint towards me, still clutching two pale, little wilting flowers. I blinked and frowned, telling myself I ought not to compare those flowers to what happened to mother.

"Okay, let's go," I said and confidently stepped towards the castle, where the number of corpses became more prominent.

The Band of Seven had probably left no survivors in the carnage, I realised. That was a pity, since I would have liked to have had a share in the action. As we entered the castle, I noticed that Bankotsu and the others certainly had creativity in their methods. Some men had been shoved heads-up into the ceiling. I had a feeling, as I surveyed the damage, that it was Bankotsu himself who had done that. I did not have any evidence to back up my hunch; it was just a gut feeling I had.

No one would have had any idea how I felt. My father was alive and he was communicating with me with his slaughter. It gave me a strange feeling in my stomach.

But at the same time, I noticed a change in Tsubame. She used to be repulsed by the sight of blood and was much too gentle for her own good. Now, while she didn't participate in bloodshed, violence ceased to faze her and she often made jokes about it. Tsubame was also more cheerful these days, even though mother was dead. I had never seen her cry since the funeral, which was odd. I began to wonder whether my character was starting to rub off on her or something; were the two of us becoming one? But I was too wrapped up in my own feelings to pay her too much heed.

As I expected, when we reached the treasury, Banryu was missing. Bankotsu had already moved on. Two bodies were lying headless on the floor, having been cut cleanly through the neck. One was the lord of the castle; I recognised him for his pompous face, which did not look quite so vain in his last moments. The other corpse was that of one of his men. Both had probably been killed quite quickly and painlessly; Bankotsu evidently liked it swift but in bulk, not like I who, who was the other way around. Quality, not quantity, that's what I always said.

"These two seemed to have lost their heads," Tsubame noted gaily as she poked the two bodies with a finger.

"They should not have tried resisting our father, eh, Tsubame?" I laughed, but in deadly earnest.

Aikotsu chuckled. "You are very proud of Bankotsu, it seems. And would you like to know where he and the rest of the Band of Seven are headed?"

"You know something?" I asked lazily.

A hint of a smile tugged on Aikotsu's lips. "I'm not from around here, but one of the old men from a neighbouring village let me in on a very interesting rumour."

"What is it?" I demanded. I had lost the languidness and had become intent, for I had a feeling Aikotsu was going to say something very important.

Aikotsu said, "Well, why don't we have a fight? If you win, I'll tell you, but if you lose, I'll kill you and go my own way."

"Sounds fair enough," I answered, smirking. I liked to settle disputes the violent way, if possible.

"Here," I heard Tsubame say. She walked up to me and presented me with the sword of one of the dead men. I took it and smiled. The weight was good enough for me. "Show him who's boss, big brother!" Tsubame continued, cheering for me.

Aikotsu watched smirking as this exchange took place. When I turned back to him, levelling my sword, he said, "Is that what you're using? Now I'll show you my weapon." Fumbling into his robes, he at length drew out what looked like a long, grey chain. "I call this the chain of love," he proclaimed, with an air of confidence that I didn't like the sound of.

"Do you want to know why?" he pressed me as he held the chain close to himself, staring me levelly in the eye. "It works exactly like that sentiment we call 'love'. For example…" He raised his arm and hurled the length of his weapon, while holding onto one end, to the other side of the room, where the head of the lord had rolled. The chain snaked itself around the head and tightened its grip; then Aikotsu gave a harsh tup on his end and there was a beautiful cracking noise as the skull split apart underneath the pressure. Aikotsu pulled on the chain again and it undid itself so that he was holding the loose end again, ready to re-use.

Tsubame looked horrified and I must have been quite thoughtful, for Aikotsu nodded his head calmly and explained: "Love can utterly destroy, split you right apart." He smiled; I could tell he was really quite enjoying himself. "You want to know what else it can do?" he purred suggestively, raising the length of the chain again.

Aikotsu was insane, twisted and loony… but no more than I. I think I began to really like Aikotsu at that moment. "Tell me," I said, as I stood on the tips of my toes, ready to spring into action, "what else can love do?"

"It will strike at you." As Aikotsu said this, he hurled the chain again; this time in my direction. I dodged to the side, having prepared myself for it. "And it will not give up until it gets you."

The chain swung around like a metallic whip around the small room, and I was forced to perform all manner of acrobatics to avoid a direct hit. I realised that if I could get close to Aikotsu, I would probably be able to defeat him. The chain was good for a distance attack but it drew the line if I was next to him, for it lacked the speed for a quick reaction time. I dodged another blow and ran towards Aikotsu, gripping my sword tightly. Suddenly, I felt myself lose balance and trip. I turned my head and scowled when I saw that the chain had managed to wrap itself around my ankle.

"…And it will sneak up on you unawares," Aikotsu was saying as he leered at me.

The chain felt very heavy and chafed my legs. Aikotsu had to be a lot stronger than he looked, I thought, gazing at him with narrowed eyes. First, however, I had to get out of the tangle I was in. I raised my sword and brought it down on the chain with the maximum force I could muster.

"You may think you can alleviate love," Aikotsu declared as the sword sliced through the chain and I was free, "But in the end, it will overcome all of your defences." The chain rose up and grabbed hold of my sword. The tug-of-war was quickly won by Aikotsu and I watched as my sword snapped cleanly in half.

I scowled, and was put in a further bad temper when the chain started wrapping tightly around my waist, pinning my arms to my side. I struggled, baring my teeth, thinking about how freaky Aikotsu's statements were. He was now grinning with poorly-concealed glee.

"Love makes you fearful, apprehensive," he said as the chain slowly tightened around my waist. "It turns you upside down." That part was very frightening, for my nose was rendered only half an inch from the floor. Aikotsu twisted his weapon to make it happen, and the effect was so violent on my stomach that I almost threw up.

"Big brother!" I heard Tsubame cry out in an alarmed voice. She was behind me and that made me feel better, because I knew that with her around, I could accomplish anything.

At length, Aikotsu turned me the right way up again and shifted the position of the chain so it would fit around my neck. At least, that was where I saw it was headed. Long before it did happen, I grabbed hold of the length and called out, "You've forgotten something about love, Aikotsu!"

Aikotsu stared blankly at me.

I smirked; glad that I could produce my line to its full impact. "When it is total, it comes from both ends!"

And with that, I pulled on the length myself; giving it a hard yank, I managed to drag Aikotsu towards me. He had a very shocked expression on his face, and when he was within the range of my arms, I proceeded to punch him vigorously until he fell to the floor.

Tsubame let out a huge sigh of relief; I did too, but not outwardly. Removing the chain from Aikotsu's faint grip, I let it drop with a thud beside me. I smiled and stretched out my arm for Aikotsu to take. "Well fought," I told him as I helped him to his feet.

Aikotsu laughed and brushed himself off, then retrieved his chain and, folding it, placed it back inside his robe. "The feeling's mutual," he said as he bowed towards me.

"So will you tell us where the Band of Seven is headed?" I asked.

Aikotsu nodded. "Yes," he replied, "I was told they were heading towards Mount Hakurei, which is not too far from here." (He was referring to the holy mount to which I had never been.)

"Well then," I said, "We must go there."

"To tell the truth," Aikotsu sighed heavily as he looked at me, "I don't think you're quite ready for it yet."

I frowned. "What do you mean, Aikotsu?" I hoped then that Aikotsu did not mean what I thought he meant.

There was a pause, then Aikotsu said, "Did you never wonder how Bankotsu gained such super-human strength or where he found the Banryu?"

"No; we're idiots," Tsubame answered tartly.

I did not say anything. No, I had not thought of Bankotsu's strength coming from some external source. So high up in status he was to me, since from the very cradle I had been listening to mother's stories or Bankotsu's mighty exploits. If I had met him, things would have been different, I'm sure of it. I had heard so much about my father to the extent that it was as if I knew him as a person, but of course, it never crossed my mind that he was actually human!

Aikotsu chuckled. "I came to this region in the hopes of finding answers. As it turns out, my uncle was actually a member of the Band of Seven; his name was Jakotsu. He and my father were estranged, because Jakotsu was rather... eccentric, so I was told."

"So are you," said Tsubame cheekily, and Aikotsu shrugged as if to say, "True."

Aikotsu may have had a desire to see Jakotsu but it could not have been in the same league as my longing to see Bankotsu. He saw his journey as one for knowledge and perhaps some power. And I saw my journey as one for a companion, a father, someone who would understand me, as I had a feeling Bankotsu would.

Subconsciously, I have always wanted my father to be proud of me. And which child does not wish for the same?

"Anyway," said Aikotsu, wagging his head from side to side, "I found that near the Seven Man Mound there is the valley where they say Banryu was forged. They also say that that is the place where Kyokotsu was born. I was passing through this area on the way there." He took a deep breath. "Care to come with me?"

"So," I noted, "I have a choice between finding out about my father and actually meeting him. Which one should I choose?"


	3. I Okikotsu

**Chapter 3 Okikotsu**

I chose to go to the Seven Man Mound with Aikotsu.

Before heading south, we hunted among the bodies for extra items to take. In this way, we managed to procure some clothing, water and weapons. I carried a fine steel sword found on the body of one of the dead soldiers. I also found Tsubame some knives although she was as skilful at wielding them as she was at reading Japanese. Aikotsu, of course, held onto his chain of love.

I spent much of the duration of the journey getting to know Aikotsu. He was the sort of person one could approach very easily and talk to, if he was in a good mood. Put Aikotsu in a foul temper and most likely he'd kill you then demand an apology. Like all those with the temperament of a killer, one had to be careful handling him as there was a fine line, a very fine line, between life and death. How did I know this? Because I was a killer and I understood him.

I asked Aikotsu why he said all these strange things about love before.

"Personal experience, Cho," he laughed, shaking his head; "Personal experience." But he never articulated on this.

I also told Aikotsu about my plans to start a mercenary band. He said he would be interested in joining but only after he found out all there was to know about the Band of Seven, which also entailed meeting Jakotsu.

Suddenly, I wondered why Aikotsu was on such a journey and why he was travelling alone. Surely he wasn't an orphan like Tsubame and I! Yet he spoke of his parents as if they were still alive. I realised I did not know much about Aikotsu at all. That was a shame since I saw a solid connection that could form between us.

The reason why I went with Aikotsu was because I really wanted to discover the secret to Bankotsu's strength and perhaps get something out of it. And then, when I did meet my father…

"Why," I muttered to myself, "Do I think 'when', not 'if'? It's as if it's certain that I shall end up meeting him one day…" And the day seemed so far away, even though I had waited already over a decade.

When we reached the Seven Man Mound, Aikotsu briefly showed me the tomb as well as the shrine nearby. Apparently, the shrine was built to contain the angry spirits of the seven men that had been executed.

Not only had the rock that covered the entrance split, the tomb itself was devoid of any bones. A person with a weaker temperament than mine would have shivered at the oppressive aura that still clung to the area. To my surprise, Tsubame wasn't one of them.

I asked Aikotsu whether he had any idea just how the Band of Seven was resurrected and he said he had no idea.

"Perhaps it's only temporary," Tsubame suggested mildly.

"Maybe it is," I answered grimly. I turned to Aikotsu. "Ai, we gotta hurry up this thing. In which direction is the valley?"

"Rush, rush, rush, is it? You only live once," Aikotsu sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "Look," he said, pointing to the east, "The valley is that way."

We continued our journey. The valley seemed rather grim and dark to me; I found it easy to believe that my father had died there. I was unsure about Aikotsu's affirmations concerning Kyokotsu, another member of the Band of Seven, and Banryu, Bankotsu's halberd. There was, of course, only one way to find out.

"We should all stick together," I began loudly, in an effort to alleviate the disquieting atmosphere of the valley. "We could easily get lost in here." As I said this, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise and I tightened my grip on my acquired sword.

"If that's the case," said Aikotsu, frowning, "Where'd your little sister go?"

Aikotsu was right; Tsubame had vanished. "Damn it!" I cursed. "That girl has no sense of direction!" I began looking around frantically because I knew it was too much to hope that Tsubame could take care of herself.

"Over here."

Aikotsu's head snapped up, and he whipped out his chain. "Who's there?" he demanded, and I could have sworn I heard his heart beat.

"Over here," the voice repeated and my eyes narrowed as I saw a figure step out from the bush. He was a giant of a man, truly, more than twice my height and with a face as ugly as sin. And he was holding in his large and awkward hands the body of a girl who was very familiar to me.

"Tsubame!" I scowled, spitting in front of the man who apprehended me. "Give her back, you bastard!"

The man silently placed Tsubame on the ground. She tittered, then, seeing me, laughed and exclaimed, "Big brother!" She ran over to me, hugged me fiercely in a manner that was, strangely enough, not induced by fear, and said, "This nice guy saved me!"

I was puzzled. "Saved you?" I repeated incredulously as I gazed, frowning, into Tsubame's childish face.

I looked sharply upwards at the hideous-looking giant as he explained, "This valley is filled with traps to stop people trespassing on this territory. The girl almost walked straight into one when I stopped her and brought her to you."

Why? I wondered, not entirely satisfied with the explanation. We _were _trespassers; weren't we supposed to fall into the traps? Unless… the giant wanted to do something with us. Thinking this, I decided to pretend nothing was wrong and said laughingly, "I see; I misjudged you; sorry about that. Thank you for saving my sister's life." I paused. "What's your name?"

The giant bowed very courteously, and I noticed that his head, when touching the ground, almost reached up to my knees. Bringing his head up again, the giant said, "My name is Okikotsu. Pleased to meet you. Please stay here while I tell my master about you." Then he walked off, quickly vanishing into the dark recesses of the valley.

I didn't entirely trust the giant. His Japanese was too formal for my liking, not to mention the other suspicious circumstances. I could not help but have a feeling that we were being watched and, glancing at Aikotsu, I could tell he possessed the same instincts. Could something be coming?

At length, Tsubame sighed, very neatly disrupting all the tension that had been carefully built up. "What's your problem, sis?" I asked, eying her with slight irritation.

To my annoyance, Tsubame sighed again, stared right into the sky and placed the palm of her hand on her cheek. "I… I think I'm in love," she professed, and I noticed her cheeks were tinged with red.

"Wha… what?!" I demanded, completely in shock. I had had enough about love from Aikotsu and now I was starting to hear some more of it from Tsubame? I couldn't believe it.

"Well, well!" said Aikotsu, grinning. "Do tell, Tsubame: Who's the lucky man? I am the resident love expert around here anyway!" he laughed.

"Okikotsu," Tsubame replied with a shake of her head; "That was his name, right?"

"H-Him?!" I had to laugh. "I know girls dig tall guys, but aren't you going a little overboard?" Besides, I already suspected that there was something not quite right about Okikotsu.

"What, you jealous?" Aikotsu demanded, with a suggestive twitch of his eyebrows.

I stared long and hard at him. "You really are a freak, you know that?" I told him after a moment's pause. I couldn't believe he had just implied Tsubame and I had _that _kind of relationship. Tsubame was my freaking sister!

Just then, there was a rustle in the bushes and I grunted, knowing instinctively that the newcomers were hostile. "Aikotsu," I ground out as I drew my sword, "Stay with Tsubame and attack anything that gets close to her." I narrowed my gaze at the red eyes that were leering at the three of us from the bushes. "This is not going to be pretty."

I remember feeling quite exhilarated at the opportunity to kill some demons – for demons our attackers were. When they emerged from the bushes, about twenty in all, surrounding us in a tight circle, I noticed they all looked as excited as I felt. They were minor demons, only slightly stronger than the average human. Ogre demons they were, with stubby horns and repulsive, scaly skin. Yum yum.

I leaped at the nearest demon and slashed at it with my sword. I did not have the technique to behead the demon with one slash, but one hit was enough to stop it retaliating. I was very satisfied as purple blood started spilling from the demon's neck and its eyes went wide with sudden death. Retrieving my sword, I turned to the two demons that were approaching me rapidly left and right. I slashed at them both then ducked as they howled in pain. Another stab at each of them finished my work off.

I glanced at Aikotsu. His chain was serving as a whip to him, which was how he fought when there were multiple enemies facing him. Left, right, CRACK, a demon's screech of pain, left, right. There was a certain magic in watching him fight. Tsubame stood close to him, holding onto one of his sleeves.

I turned back to my foes. One ogre had hold of a club and it took some tense fencing before I managed to thrust my sword into its chest. I kicked the body aside and fought over it as another two ogres came my way, both armed with clubs as well.

"Damn… it…!"

I couldn't pay attention to both ogres simultaneously. If I got one under control, the other would try a shot for my back, which was annoying. When I saw both demons raise their weapons high above their heads in order to club me together, I rolled to the side and watched as they ended up hitting each other. I was so amused by this I forgot to watch my back and didn't notice a demon behind me until it was rather too late.

"Cho, watch out!"

I spun around, saw the demon preparing to strike me and opened my mouth wide. At that moment, I saw the demon grin menacingly and then cough and splutter as Aikotsu's chain wrapped around its neck and squeezed tightly. It looked painful.

As the demon collapsed on the ground, I grinned at Aikotsu, who was pulling on his chain to get it back. I mouthed the work 'thanks' to him and he winked back. And it was then I saw…!

Aikotsu had failed to notice a demon sneaking up to Tsubame. Both were facing me, so neither saw what I did. Without thinking, I held up my sword and tossed it at the demon and was slightly shocked when the sword landed directly in the demon's throat. I had not practised sword throwing as much as my hand-to-hand combat and I had forgotten that I could have hit Tsubame.

But all was good and Tsubame and Aikotsu were impressed when they turned around and saw the would-be threat had a great dirty sword stuck in its throat. I smirked at my success.

The rest of the fight was fairly easy after that, since most of the demons had been annihilated. I stayed close by Aikotsu and Tsubame and together with Aikotsu, managed to finish off all the demons with plenty of energy to spare.

I looked at the bloody corpses with satisfaction and said, "That was a good workout, eh, Aikotsu?"

"Indeed," said Aikotsu, nodding his head.

I smiled.

"Oh, look!" Tsubame exclaimed. "It's Okikotsu!" She was pointing towards the trail where Okikotsu had walked down and sure enough, the man-giant was walking there and beside him was another man, both coming towards us.

The man with Okikotsu was as unbelievably short as Okikotsu was unbelievably tall. He was old and his face was even more hideous than Okikotsu's. He was a portly and rotund fellow, although there was none of the joviality about him that normally surrounds fat men. He had whiskers and a scruffy-looking face and his eyes… they were the most beadiest orbs I had ever laid eyes upon.

"Is this your master, Okikotsu?" I asked, while still staring intently at the repulsive-looking gentleman beside Okikotsu.

Okikotsu was silent, so the old man replied. "Yes." His voice was very scratchy. "My name is Chisai, although I would prefer it if you addressed me as Master Chisai."

"Now why should we do that?" I asked, and I let a bit of arrogance seep into my voice. "We're not your servants."

"Headstrong, eh?" the man named Chisai chuckled, apparently at my insolence. "You're too much like your father."

"My father?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow. Now things were getting interesting.

Chisai chuckled again. "The moment Okikotsu told me about you, I knew. I was watching you before, you know, and you truly do fight like Bankotsu as well."

"Hang on a minute!" Aikotsu frowned. "Those demons were a test, weren't they?"

"They sure were," Chisai replied; "And you passed."

I started to really not like this man. He was coming across as very manipulative to me, and I hated anyone like that.

"Well, are we going to get prizes for doing well?" I asked with a smirk.

"Of course," Chisai replied. "Follow me." He turned away and motioned with his hands for us to follow.

Aikotsu glanced at me; I met his eyes and nodded. I knew what he was thinking: _should we do as he says? He looks suspicious. _Even though I did not like Chisai myself, he knew my father and possibly Banryu as well. And Okikotsu did remind me somewhat of the tales I had heard about Kyokotsu, who was said to be a giant, although weakest of the Band of Seven. Okikotsu appeared double my age, which would make things awkward if he did join the Band. Personally, I was not too keen on the idea, but since Tsubame was so smitten with Okikotsu, I was obliged to make her happy. These thoughts ran through my head as I walked behind Chisai. I was glad there was someone shorter than me in the vicinity.

As we walked through the valley, we passed by a clearing which Chisai announced to be the location of the Band of Seven's final stand. We did not linger there but I noticed that not only was the area a mass grave, there was also much evidence of destruction. By this, I meant the trees. It takes a long time for a forest to regrow, so what occurred over a decade ago was still very much present when I saw it. The grass was only beginning to come back and the trees… there was no end to their mutilation.

I felt a pang in my chest because I knew I could very well have been standing right above the blade of grass upon which Bankotsu had been beheaded. I imagined him, tied up and restrained by several strong men, Banryu beyond his reach. Behind him, there stood a man, holding a heavy sword. And the man raised the sword in the air. And he brought it down.

Down.

Down.

Down.

Plop.

"It's raining," said Tsubame.

I felt the prickling cold and dampness in the air. I looked sharply upwards at the depressing, grey sky, and noticed that the rain was getting heavier. I sighed.

"Are we there yet, gramps?" I demanded, addressing Chisai. I knew I was acting immature, but I was only eleven; I was entitled to my immaturity.

"Yes, we are here," answered Chisai, and I was amused when I caught annoyance in his tone for the first time. "Welcome to my humble abode."

He pointed to a nondescript hut but fifty yards away from the mass grave. I frowned when the implications hit me. "You were there, weren't you?" I said. "The day my father died."

"Of course not," Chisai snapped. "I only moved closer after I found out what happened so I could bury the bodies. You could smell the stench miles away."

"Oh," I said.

We entered the hut. Okikotsu had to bend almost double to go in and had to remain crouch since the ceiling was so low. He had not said a word the entire journey and was not about to begin now. I noticed Tsubame kept flashing him adoring looks, which he failed to notice, let alone, reciprocate.

The interior of the hut was actually quite a bit more interesting than the exterior. Only one room was dedicated to living; the rest was crammed with weaponry of various descriptions, all of which piqued my intrigue. The mysteries started to build up. Could Chisai have been the creator of the Banryu? How did he know my father? And who was Okikotsu, really? He didn't share the least resemblance to Chisai in any case, besides the ugliness.

"Don't touch anything, girl!" I suddenly heard Chisai exclaim. I saw Tsubame was about to touch a very ornate katana leaning against a wall. It looked very shiny, which no doubt sparked Tsubame's impulsivity.

I rolled my eyes. "Why, Tsubame? You don't even know which end of a sword is the right way up!"

"I do too!" Tsubame retorted, huffing a little. Then her eyes fell on Okikotsu, who was looking in the other direction with a very bored look on his face, and she blushed and turned away.

Aikotsu looked at me and I could tell what he was thinking again: _Your sister's unbelievable!_

Once Tsubame was restrained by Aikotsu to stop her touching anything else, Chisai began to talk. He explained that most of the weapons had been forged by Kaijinbo, a sword smith dealing with demonic weaponry. The weapons deemed too weak for demons were given to Chisai, who found customers in humans with considerable hate energy.

"Hate energy?" piped up Aikotsu. "What's that?"

"It's the opposite of spiritual energy, which is manipulated by monks and priestesses," Chisai said. "For those who are impure of heart, they must rely on this kind of out-of-body strength. It words just like spiritual energy: once you master it, you can create barriers or amplify your physical capabilities. It's not as effective on demons as spiritual energy, but it works pretty well on humans."

I nodded with increasing sagacity through the explanation. When it was done, I said, "Let me guess: Kaijinbo created the Banryu and you give it to Bankotsu because he had a lot of hate energy. Am I right?"

"Yes, you are," Chisai replied grudgingly. "When I gave the Banryu to Bankotsu, he liked it a lot, and used it to slay as many demons and humans as he pleased. You see, unlike spiritual energy, which can only increase when you meditate or are near an object of great spiritual power, hate energy increases the more you kill."

Tsubame gasped; I shook my head and uttered, "It's not surprising, really. I'd expect it to work like that." I looked up. "Can you tell how much hate energy I have?"

I was expecting to Chisai to respond positively and so was slightly taken-aback when he answered, "No." He elaborated, "One's hate energy is often locked inside. A bit may come out in moments of great passion, but it is like spiritual energy, which you need to train and harness before it becomes real to yourself and others."

"And how do you do that?" I asked, not liking how Chisai was rambling.

"I'll leave that to you to figure out," Chisai replied smugly.

Oh, him! He was getting back at me for the times I had been smug and rude and conceited towards him!

"You probably have no idea yourself," Tsubame noted with a grin.

Chisai looked at her. "No, I don't. How you master your hate energy is up to the individual. It has never been a concept to which a master can give justice to. Always, always, hate is something which no one but you can understand. Do you get me?"

"I think I do," Aikotsu said.

I sort of got it, and was very tempted to dismiss the idea as one Chisai had conceived in order to disappoint us. Then I thought about it a little. You could tell someone how you feel but nothing could make them feel as you feel. At least, not to the extent you yourself feel.

"I'll tell you what I'll do," Chisai said. "I'll give you one of these weapons to take with you. Only when you master your hate energy will you be able to wield any of these weapons, so it doesn't matter which one you choose because they'll all weigh the same at first."

I chose the Tsurugi (broadsword). It looked well-suited to me, in any case, and it wasn't exactly ornate. There was a lack of fancy inscriptions and the blade was actually rather dull with its sheen. It still looked like it could cut readily, however. I leaned over to pick it up and discovered that the blade was so heavy I could only lift it a few inches off the floor and had difficulty carrying it anywhere.

"That's actually quite good," Chisai commented. "That Tsurugi is as heavy as the Banryu, which required three strong men to lift it in the same way you do. Bankotsu, however," he added merrily, "Could wield it with one hand."

"You're kidding me," I gasped, and then winced in pain as my grip on the sword slipped and the hilt landed smack on my toes.

"Think of it this way," Chisai shrugged. "You've inherited some of your father's strength. How else could you wield a steel sword and toss it like a knife? You still got a long way to go, though."

Aikotsu and Tsubame both looked at me with something not unlike admiration; it made me feel good.

"Since you can't use that Tsurugi right away, I'll let Okikotsu carry it for you on your journey," Chisai told me. "He is Kyokotsu's brother and I have been caring for him since childhood. Once his errand is complete, he'll come back to me."

Yay, I thought dully. I glanced at Okikotsu and knew that he was more of a slave than a child to Chisai. No doubt, Chisai was encouraging me to go out and reduce the world's population for him; I could see him wanting that. I doubted Okikotsu had a free mind at all, but he had to be strong if he could carry the Tsurugi. It didn't seem like he had much hate energy, though. Tsubame seemed to not share any of my mental observations and was much too busy blowing kisses in Okikotsu's general direction.

I was very much impatient to get out of the valley and did not utter much of a blessing to Chisai. In fact, I did not really want to see him again. Had it not been for my obligation towards Tsubame, I would not have let Okikotsu join. He and a Tsurugi did not sound like a good mix in terms of our group's safety. You never know, I thought, Okikotsu might randomly try and kill us in the middle of the night. I didn't exactly trust him.

Aikotsu also seemed relieved once out of the Seven Man Mound and after expressing his interest in learning how to harness hate energy too, he asked me, "Where are we to go now?"

"To Mount Hakurei," I replied. "We're going to ask Bankotsu how he managed to wield the Banryu."


	4. I Shinigo

**Chapter 4 Shinigo**

"Ah," Tsubame sighed contentedly, "It's so peaceful on Mount Hakurei; I feel like I'll never be hurt again."

I walked a few steps and groaned, clutching my stomach. I was not sure which planet Tsubame lived on but in mine, I was in a constant seat of nauseating pain. It was like getting kicked in the balls. Beside me, Aikotsu also winced in pain and muttered curses under his breath. I turned to him, forming a pained and wry smile towards him. "Feels shit, doesn't it, Ai?" I asked, and Aikotsu nodded in reply.

I groaned again. Mount Hakurei was possibly the nastiest place I had ever been to. From a distance, it had looked quite splendid, with a grand structure with the tip white like snow. But as we climbed the mountain, it got steadily foggier until we could see no more than a few paces in front of us. Not to mention that feeling I got being just being there!

"It's the barrier around this place," Aikotsu explained. "To prevent demons from entering this holy ground, a barrier was made. Although we're humans, we can feel it too. Apparently," he coughed, glancing at Tsubame, "Those with impure thoughts are the only ones who have trouble up here."

I sighed. I didn't see how this could be fair. Over the entire duration of our trip to Mount Hakurei, Tsubame had done nothing but flirt with a non-responsive Okikotsu and bounce off invisible walls. Okikotsu carried the Tsurugi Chisai had given me strapped to his back. Because Aikotsu and I were bored, we decided to come up with a name for the Tsurugi. We eventually decided on Choken for no reason other than it sounded impressive.

Okikotsu seemed to double over with the weight of Choken. Perhaps the only reason why he was able to carry the sword at all was for his sheer size. Okikotsu never communicated with any of us, so I had no idea what he was feeling. Not that I was overly concerned or anything but we had to find Bankotsu soon or else Okikotsu would not be able to carry the luggage any longer. I considered carrying Choken myself but I could only manage a few paces before I had to put it down and rest my straining arms. But if it came to worst, I told myself, I would have to carry Choken in Okikotsu's steed. And who knows? Maybe the experience would make me stronger. I knew, however, it was impossible to do that on Mount Hakurei. The atmosphere of the place already deadened my limbs and it frustrated me. Not only was Mount Hakurei bringing out my weakness, it was also bringing out Okikotsu's strength. He was unperturbed by the mountain's barrier and I resented that. It showed that Okikotsu was a better person than I was, according to some stupid rock.

Not to mention Tsubame. How could she so quickly forget me for a hideous-looking man-giant that couldn't speak Japanese? (Well, he could, but that was beside the point.) Of course I was jealous!

Aikotsu halted abruptly and sucked in air through his teeth. I flanked at him and he said, "There's nothing here."

I felt a sinking sensation in my stomach. "You sure?" I asked, trying not to let too much doubt seep into my voice.

Aikotsu answered yes. I sighed. We eventually got off the mountain but only after carefully examining the area. We still had not gone past the barrier but it was getting dark. So with flailing spirits we left, but I promised to myself that I would cross that barrier tomorrow and find Bankotsu. I suspected that he was beyond it.

I could not help thinking that the barrier on Mount Hakurei was not the only barrier I would have to overcome for my happy ending.

Once we had reached the foot of the mountain, I suggested we set up camp and stay the night. Suddenly, I felt… homesick. Tsubame and I had left our home without any qualms but now I felt like I was still on Mount Hakurei. I scowled and tried not to think about it.

Tsubame looked very miserable as Aikotsu and Okikotsu started lighting a fire in the middle of the clearing. I wondered whether she was going through what I was feeling.

"Tsubame," I said, "Would you like to go to the river near here and bathe with me?" I added, "Just like old times?" The days before Bankotsu's resurrection seemed so far away.

Tsubame looked at me and for one sickening moment, I thought she was going to refuse. Then she broke into a wide grin and exclaimed, "Of course, big brother, but can Okikotsu come too?"

For a moment I had a frightening mental image of a naked Okikotsu bathing in the stream. I shuddered. "No Okikotsu, Tsubame," I growled. Tsubame nodded cheerfully.

"Okay, big brother!" she cried, and hurried off to do my bidding.

The stream was not too far from our designated camp spot. It looked fairly clean. I stripped quickly and entered the water, shivering slightly. I was used to cold water but it still felt wonderful to have the mud and grime ebb away. I was being cleansed of Mount Hakurei.

Tsubame also entered the water and splashed me in the face the moment she got in. I splashed her back and for a few minutes, we engaged in a water fight, an amusing diversion. After that, we swam, although I had to stay near Tsubame since she had a tendency to sink like a rock on water. And suddenly, the homesickness vanished and I was at ease with myself again. As I performed a few strokes in the water, I reflected that it must have had something to do with Tsubame.

While we lay drying on the grass, Tsubame edged closer towards me. "Hey, big brother," she began hesitantly.

I raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Tsubame?" I responded.

My sister stared at the water, unable to look me in the eye. "Why don't you like Okikotsu that much?"

"Oh, so you noticed?"

"It wasn't that hard," Tsubame admitted rather bashfully.

I was silent for a moment, and then I asked, "Why do you like him?" I didn't mean to be scathing but after hearing the words come out of my mouth, I knew that was how I probably sounded.

"When I first saw Okikotsu," said Tsubame rather slowly as she continued to gaze at the water, "I noticed that he did not have a very pretty face." (_So she admits it, _I thought.) "Maybe lots of people notice the same thing and I thought that it wouldn't be very nice if people thought you didn't have a pretty face. So I made up my mind to be nice to Okikotsu and make up for it."

I scowled.

I suddenly noticed my nakedness when I heard some unhurried footsteps coming along the river bank. Turning my gaze sharply, I saw a young peasant girl who was holding a bundle of dirty-looking clothes. She went very red and I could feel myself going the same way.

The girl mumbled something that sounded like "Sorry." She began to back away rather hastily.

"Do you live around here?" Tsubame asked suddenly, apparently unperturbed by the awkwardness. That only made things even more awkward.

The girl started violently. "Oh… yes. I live in a village not far over that way." She pointed to the hills, which the sun had begun to retreat behind. Then she bowed. "Forgive me, you must be travellers. We villagers use that river to wash our clothes in, not bathe in. I-I'll leave you to get dressed." That said, she continued to back away shame-facedly until she was behind a tree a relatively safe distance away.

Taking the hint, Tsubame and I briskly donned our clothes. I was all for a change of scenery but Tsubame took my hand and wordlessly lead me over to the intruding girl. She was still there. If her face was not so blatantly red, it probably would not have made much of a spectacle. She was about my age.

"Hey there," I said.

The girl looked up, and then quickly looked down at her feet. I sighed in annoyance and glanced sharply at Tsubame.

I couldn't believe it. She was smiling blithely on. I wondered if she'd be flashing her pearly whites at King Yama when the judgement time came - on the assumption that there actually _was _a judgement time. "Pleased to meet you," she was saying, her ridiculous smile still plastered on her face. "My name's Tsubame and this is Chokotsu."

Oh great, I thought wearily. Now Tsubame would start chatting up with this girl and we'd never get to camp at all! What a tiresome situation.

I turned my attention to the girl, who seemed slightly less red now. "I'm Emi," she was saying. "I thought you were the half-demon come to terrorise our village."

"Half-demon?" Tsubame enquired innocently. I narrowed my eyes.

In the village I had lived in, there had once lived a half-demon. I remember when I was very little; the villagers banded together and killed the half-demon. For the safety of the village they had said. That was all that I knew of half-demons.

Emi was saying something. "Our village once was home to a half-demon named Shinigo. He had no family but we villagers became his family.

"Then one day, Shinigo ran away. Months passed and he never returned, so we gave him up for lost."

"Why did Shinigo run away?" Tsubame interrupted, eyeing Emi curiously.

"Who knows how half-breeds think?" Emi replied somewhat scornfully as she shrugged her shoulder.

"Go on with the story," I said.

Emi nodded. "So anyway, we villagers were certainly surprised when last week, some of the outer houses were ravaged and our rice crops spoiled. The next day, one of the farmers spotted Shinigo around the forest. He had returned with a vendetta against us! Every night, there has been a raid of some sort. It just shows what happens if you trust half-breeds!"

I couldn't help but notice how Emi had stopped kindly referring to Shinigo as a 'half-demon' and was now calling him a 'half-breed.' Pretty racist family Shinigo had there. But it hardly mattered anyhow. "How much would you pay us for slaying this half-demon for you?" I asked, for the idea had occurred to me and it sounded pretty good. Like something Bankotsu might do, I thought gleefully.

Although rather taken aback at my proposal, Emi said she would ask the village headman about it. And so before long, I managed to rouse Aikotsu and Okikotsu, and they approved of my idea (or at least, Aikotsu did; Okikotsu looked like he didn't care either way). I couldn't help but notice, to my extreme displeasure, that Emi started taking us more seriously only after seeing Okikotsu. When I thought about it, it made sense; after all, Okikotsu _was _big and he _did _have a heavy Tsurugi strapped to his back. But still, it wasn't like he was the leader or anything. What was even more frustrating was that when the squat headman was making the dealings with us, he spoke to Okikotsu and it took him a while to realise that I was the one responsible for everything. He had looked pretty shocked but I guess we really were a strange bunch.

I asked that in return for slaying Shinigo we ought to receive a free meal and accommodation for a night. Money was the least of my concern. I just wanted to prove myself. The headman said yes, and I suspected that he suspected that we wouldn't actually do much. That thought made me chuckle. Who really cared about what one ill-informed man thought?

Aikotsu, Okikotsu and I were dumped outside the village gates and told to wait there, for Shinigo was sure to arrive at sundown. (Tsubame remained in the village.) The gates looked as if they could be knocked down by a feather and didn't serve much of a use as a barricade. There was a small forest surrounding the village, one that looked as if it could easily hide a rogue half-demon. The village itself looked very poorly defended, which made me wonder why it wasn't in a worse condition that what it was, if Shinigo had come every night for the past week. Only about a dozen men patrolled the outside of the village and were equipped with weak-looking crossbows – certainly not enough to fight a half-demon. I thought to myself, '_What's going on here?'_

When it was almost completely dark, Emi and Tsubame came to us bearing some fruit. It was a poor supper but at least it showed they cared about whether or not we starved. Emi explained, "We sneaked out to visit you. Are you sure you'll be okay?" She looked worried. I assured her that we could handle the job; she nodded; then she and Tsubame left. Both of them still looked worried.

"Got a girlfriend now?" Aikotsu remarked idly. "Well that was quick."

"Shut up," I said.

There were a number of reasons why I said this. First and foremost, I was embarrassed. Also, I had heard a noise coming from the forest. It sounded like something big.

"Shinigo," I said.

The watchmen around me started yelling something but I wasn't listening to them. Instead, I squinted towards the forest and strained my eyes searching… searching. Was there a large dark shape I could see, approaching from the forest? Or were those movements just the trees in the distance swaying in the wind? I couldn't be sure. In spite of what I had said to Emi, I couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive.

I glanced at Aikotsu. He had gotten to his feet, pulled out his chain of love. "Do you see it?" he asked me.

I nodded.

For the dark shape had come closer and could now be seen by the torches the watchmen had lit. That dark shape was without a doubt the half-demon we sought. The yelling around us became louder than ever, loud enough to make my ears ring.

Shinigo was hideous. Not only was he uglier than Okikotsu, he was taller and broader too. He was feral. He had fangs, very big fangs which had saliva simply dripping off them. Despite being only half-oni, Shinigo looked terrifying – especially his eyes, a hunter's eyes filled with bloodlust. He was to me scarier than a full-demon. How…?

"That can't be a half-demon," Aikotsu breathed as Shinigo drew closer with heavy-ragged breaths.

"Why not?" I asked, not sure if I had heard right. The watchmen were now organising themselves to shoot bolts at Shinigo, now that he had come within range.

Aikotsu said something but I didn't hear anything definitive that time.

Twelve crossbow bolts zipped through the air, aimed at Shinigo. I watched as Shinigo slickly manoeuvred out of the way in a show of surprisingly deft footwork for such a large being. Shinigo glowered and hissed; the dark only added to his spine-chilling features. I took a deep breath. Shinigo was not going to frighten me.

The next volley of bolts was way off the mark; those who held their bows were obviously suffering from shaking arms. Again, Shinigo dodged the arrows with consummate ease. This was not the way to do it.

"Stop shooting!" I heard one of the watchmen call. "Hold your bows ready; let's see what the half-breed does!"

For a moment there was silence; then the men began to whisper among themselves. Hushed, fearful whispers. Shinigo's deep, harsh breathing could now be heard a mile away.

Shinigo drew closer. The whispering increased in volume. Then Shinigo stopped. He stopped snarling; his breathing slowed down; his tensed up shoulders began to relax. What was happening now?

A hoarse moan escaped from Shinigo's throat. It sounded like he was in pain. Then there was harsh panting for a while as Shinigo's limbs thrashed about in random directions. Another moan. And Shinigo's eyes bulged. He grabbed his neck, poised to throttle himself.

The fierce lion was in terrible agony. I did not know why Shinigo was acting in such a way. Was it a ploy? But… the pain looked real enough. Pitiful, truly pitiful.

And then I heard Shinigo croon something, almost too softly to hear: "Please kill me." More writhing, then more inhuman groans.

I stood there with my eyes fixed on Shinigo. Did he really ask us to kill him? How could he? I couldn't imagine people willing themselves to die. That took all the pleasure out of killing.

"What is this?" I demanded, and I scowled.

One of the watchmen stopped whispering and answered, "The half-breed does this every night. He comes out here looking like he wants to kill us all and then he just falls apart. He always goes before sunrise. We're not sure why."

Aikotsu surprised me by turning around quickly and inhaling sharply. He seemed as if he had been enlightened by the information. "Do you mean," he asked quickly, "Shinigo has _never _tried to ravage this village?"

"No, but a couple of us always keep an eye on him in case he does," was the reply.

"I see," Aikotsu said, turning his head back towards Shinigo's general direction and frowning.

Aikotsu explained to me what he had figured out. Contrary to what he had first thought, Shinigo _was _a half-demon, only one that was close to having his soul devoured. At a certain point in a half-demon's life, his existence may be threatened and his demon blood may awaken. That explained why Shinigo looked so feral, since half-demons didn't normally look like that. But a half-demon's flesh would not be able to support the demon blood, thus Shinigo would either be in rapture – when he was killing something – or in terrible pain. Eventually, Shinigo would lose all of his memories and be driven only by instinct, and when that happened, the village would truly be in peril.

"Pitiful," I said.

"We must kill Shinigo," Aikotsu said. "And we must do it soon."

I understood what Aikotsu said. The thought of walking towards Shinigo and finishing him off no longer repulsed me. Now I knew why the half-demon wanted to die. I vaguely wondered what kind of person Shinigo had been, before he had been reduced to the grounded, snivelling wreck which I approached to kill.

Shinigo's back was turned to me and his moaning sounds were continuing; I now knew this to be his way of crying. When I understood that, I almost felt as if I didn't want to kill Shinigo any more, but I did because his crying was starting to get on my nerves.

I could not wield Choken to cut off Shinigo's head so I asked Aikotsu to use his chain of love. He said it was his pleasure. I was glad that Aikotsu did not seem to have any sense of pity for other beings because it certainly made the job easier. Aikotsu lifted his chain and grinned.

It was then that Shinigo whipped around not looking like he wanted to die any more. More like, he wanted us to die. Alarm bells rang in my head and somewhere I could hear the watchmen shouting. _Danger!_

"Aikotsu, look out!" I yelled, pushing my friend out of the way. At that moment, Shinigo whipped out his deadly claws and would have run them right through Aikotsu if he had been standing where he had been just a second before.

That was close. As I lay there panting, half congratulating myself for staying alive, half amazed at what an idiot I had been, I noticed Okikotsu striding towards me as if he didn't notice that Shinigo at all. That frightened me.

"Do you need anything?" he asked in a flat voice.

Shinigo growled and lunged again. Pumped with adrenaline, I dodged to the side.

"_Do I need anything_?!" With exasperation, I replied, "We're fighting a dirty, great half-demon and that's all you can say?! What are you – thick?!"

As this exchange had occurred, Shinigo had turned his attention towards Aikotsu. Snarling, the half-demon swiped his dirty, dangerous talons at Aikotsu, who skipped backwards, his grim countenance regarding his foe. The chain of love was tossed at Shinigo's thick arms and curled around it. Snarling again and looking like death, Shinigo tugged on the chain ferociously. Aikotsu struggled to remain on balance. He pulled with all of his strength, and the links of the chain squeezed so tightly on Shinigo's arm it must have burned raw red. But Shinigo showed no pain – only lust.

Then I heard a clinking of chain and a snapping sound that made me wince. And I could only stare at Shinigo. He had brought his head down to the chain and put his mouth around the taut line connecting him to Aikotsu; and his fangs severed the tempered steel.

Aikotsu grasped his suddenly loose chain in his hand; his eyes went wide and he was motionless. He must have thought, "This could not be happening." I too was incredulous, for it had never occurred to me that the chain of love could break. (Afterwards, Aikotsu related the incident as a case of having one's heart broken.)

Even after snapping Aikotsu's chain, Shinigo wasn't finished. He shook off what was still coiled around his arm and lunged again, claws outstretched. My legs were rotted to the spot. My mouth was open in horror. Aikotsu did not make a sound.

I saw only a blur dart in front of my eyes and stop between Shinigo and Aikotsu. It was Okikotsu. He held Choken tightly and readied himself. I blinked, and in that second I saw Shinigo knock Choken out of Okikotsu's hands. Then Shinigo drew back his other arm and punched Okikotsu square in the face. Despite Okikotsu's considerable size, he took a step back and reflexively brought a hand to his battered face. Aikotsu quailed behind him.

I wondered then whether I had bitten off more than I could chew engaging this half-demon. My eyes fell on the discarded Choken and a wild, crazy idea came to mind. When one is fighting for his life, the first idea, however defiant of all logic it may be, always seems good.

I was too caught up in staying alive to realise that Choken did not seem as heavy as normal. I only grasped it firmly in my hands and rushed a few paces over to Shinigo. Only too late did the half-demon turn around; I stabbed him with Choken. I only hit his side; there had been no time for me to aim for a better spot.

Shinigo let out a terrible scream and tried to retaliate, but at that moment, Okikotsu jumped onto him and, arms straining, held him down. I tried to draw Choken out of Shinigo's body but for some reason, I did not have the strength to pull it out. That was certainly strange, I thought, frowning; the sword was not in too deep. I could not try drawing Choken out again because Shinigo was thrashing about too quickly. Cursing, I stood safely out of the way.

As I watched Shinigo and Okikotsu tussle, I felt my respect for Okikotsu increase. I recalled what Tsubame had said earlier about him; and also that Okikotsu had ungrudgingly fought for me. I had not cared for Okikotsu's perspective, thinking he had not one. But he was loyal to us for no real clear reason. At last, I understood why Mount Hakurei affected Okikotsu so differently than it had affected me.

I was shaken from my thoughts by Aikotsu, who had scrambled up beside me, cursing. "I can't believe this!" he said as he indicated towards his broken chain. "Can you believe it?" he asked me. Before I could reply, he had gone off again with another question. "Hey, what's your Choken doing stuck in Shinigo's side?"

"I stabbed him," I replied. Then I added quickly, "But I don't know how I did it."

Although the wound Choken had delivered had been a grievous one, Shinigo did not seem to suffer pain as I had noted earlier. He was a killing machine, oblivious to everything but his lust for blood. He was, without a doubt, a fierce foe.

Suddenly, Shinigo went still. Then his body trembled violently and he closed his eyes. Okikotsu's chest was heaving but he too stopped, and he backed away slightly. Perhaps he was curious as to what Shinigo would do. I myself wondered whether Shinigo was unleashing some powerful ability. If he was, I wasn't sure what we'd do as we were all exhausted. I considered trying to draw Choken again but I didn't dare approach Shinigo.

Then his eyes opened; and instantly, I sucked in breath. Shinigo's eyes were no longer red; they were yellow – his normal eye colour. Shinigo staggered a little and his breathing became heavy.

"I don't want…" he murmured, "…not anymore."

Then he closed his eyes and died.

The next few minutes went by in a blur. The watchmen, who had witnessed the entire battle, seemed rather shocked at Shinigo's sudden demise. But they seemed joyful enough when I cut off Shinigo's head and brought it to them. (I also retrieved Choken.) I took another bath in the river to wash off the blood and gore that had managed to spill on me. When I got back to the village with Aikotsu and Okikotsu in town, the headman was stuttering his praises to us. And then I was given a room to sleep in which I don't clearly remember what looked like, and Okikotsu was taken away to the village priestess because of the wounds he had suffered fighting Shinigo, which were much greater than Aikotsu's and mine.

I felt very weary and was about to fall asleep straight away on my futon when Emi came into the room. I knew she meant to talk to me.

"I heard you managed to slay Shinigo," she told me in an awed whisper. "How'd you do it? You don't look like a demon slayer."

Normally, I would have given her a blow-by-blow account of what had transpired but something bothered me about Shinigo's memory.

"What type of person was Shinigo when he lived here?" I asked.

"Well…" Emi frowned. "He was a loner, very shy, never talked much. Now that I think about it, we villagers weren't altogether that nice to him. I guess we were all scared of him, even though he never really lifted a finger to hurt us. But when he ran away, we scorned him; we referred to him as a coward."

"Shinigo was not a coward," I said, rather firmly.

Emi didn't say anything.

"In fact," I continued, "I think he was really brave."

Again, Emi said nothing.

Despite the silence, I went on, explaining my views: "From what you say, it sounded like you villagers bullied Shinigo but I don't think he ran away because of that. I think something happened to him that endangered his life, and then he lost control of himself. He became a mindless beast bent on killing, but deep inside, his heart was still there. Shinigo ran away because he did not want to kill anyone here. And whenever had come close to the village, he had always managed to drag himself away. I saw him. When he was not in a state of rapture, he looked like he wanted to die. That was what he got for fighting his instincts. In the end, I wanted to kill Shinigo not for the village's sake, but for his. I was really happy for him when he died because he no longer had to hate himself for being a killer."

"Oh, Chokotsu…" Emi sniffed.

We remained silent for a long while.

Then I asked, "Where's Tsubame?" I hadn't seen her since she had visited me with supper.

Emi explained that Tsubame had done away to see Okikotsu. I nodded at that and hoped sincerely that Okikotsu would pull through; but if he didn't, that would be too bad. I had come to appreciate Okikotsu in the same way as I had come to respect the late Shinigo. Maybe one day, Okikotsu would open up to us and talk, and we could truly call each other "allies."

I felt my tiredness again and decided to chase Emi away so I could sleep. I pretty much fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.

Unfortunately for me, despite my desire to sleep in and recuperate, I was woken up at the crack of dawn by Tsubame. Very annoyingly, she was even more excited than her norm, although she had a reason, I suppose.

"Guess what, guess what, big brother!" she exclaimed as she zoomed around the room as if she was an overly-energetic fly.

"What?" I demanded both irritably and drowsily. The futon looked _very _comfortable.

"It's unbelievable, big brother!" Tsubame insisted. "I went to see Okikotsu but he was asleep and the priestess chased me away…"

I tried to snuggle back into bed. Ah, warmth.

"… And then I went to sleep and got up just before dawn so I took a walk…"

And here I was thinking something remarkable had happened.

"… And I met Bankotsu!"


	5. I Bankotsu

**Chapter 5 Bankotsu**

I thought I had misheard.

But I had not misheard; Tsubame quickly assured me of that. No particular thoughts came into my mind after that. Tsubame recounted her experience and as she did, I felt as if my consciousness went with her, back to when she had met and talked to Bankotsu. I felt as if I was there, a spectator to events over which I had no control…

* * *

_It was in the forest at the base of Mount Hakurei that they had met. She was surrounded by the leafy undergrowth; and all was dark. She felt no fear. Stumbling blindly along the dirt trail her progress was hampered by the thick, impassive trees around her. There were whispers in the air, made by the wind blowing gently on the leaves and on the grass. Everything moved and everything was still._

_Because he followed no rules, he seemed very out of place when she saw him. He was lying with his back to a tree, apparently snoozing. Unlike the leaves surrounding him, his Banryu did not swish in the breeze, not did it whistle. Although he was asleep, he made no sound. He looked so peaceful, almost as if there was nothing in the world that could possibly stir him, that could possibly influence him._

_But when her feet hesitated as she caught sight of him, those tranquil eyelids opened and he gazed at her with wary blue eyes. The wind seemed to die away at that moment when she caught her breath. She could say nothing and neither could he. Her feet carried her towards him; she felt as if she was gliding towards him._

_He was the first one to speak after the momentary silence that followed._

"_Where are your parents?"_

_She did not know how to respond. He continued to regard her, bur he was no longer hostile. He sat up, and then slouched, leaning on his Banryu. His calm blue eyes twinkled with amusement._

"_I'm not good with kids. Not like Suikotsu." He sighed. "I _would_ kill you but I'm not a morning person. I suggest you run away while you still can."_

_She didn't move. "I don't feel like it," she said._

_He blinked, eyes filled with curiosity. Then he smiled. "You're a funny kid. I like you."_

"_I like you too."_

"_What's your name?" The question came out before he could check himself._

"_Tsubame. What's yours?" Although she already knew the answer, she stuck with the formalities._

"_Bankotsu," he replied; "Leader of the Band of Seven, that's who I am."_

"_I've heard of you."_

"_Really?" He had a look of satisfaction on his face. "What do you know about me?"_

_She considered the question and replied promptly. "You like killing people. You also like peaches, geishas and the colour blue. You dislike burying the dead, Daimyos, reading and writing and the colour yellow."_

"_What the hell? That wasn't what I had in mind. And how you know all this, pipsqueak?" But he seemed more amused than threatened._

"_My mother told me," she answered, smiling._

_He gave her a blank stare. "Your mother…?"_

"_You're also an atheist," she added, after some reflection._

_He blinked._

_He was on the verge of replying when she noticed something singularly unusual. It was the buzzing she heard first; then she saw a large winged insect coming towards her. Instinctively she knew from its glaring red eyes and grotesque form that it was a spawn on evil. He noticed it too; or, at least, the insect's presence. He tilted his head towards it, listening intently to the buzzing it emitted. He seemed to understand the insect as if it were speaking to him in fluent Japanese. He frowned and nodded; and buzzing still, the insect flew away. Back towards the grand structure of Mount Hakurei in the backdrop._

"_Listen…" He regarded her again with an almost business-like stance. "Tsubame was your name, right? Okay, pipsqueak, I have to go now. I might talk to you later."_

"_Sure," she said. She was staring blankly towards Mount Hakurei. He gazed at her, one long look of curiosity and suspicion, and then he turned around. She watched him leave, Banryu slung casually over his shoulder._

* * *

When I informed Aikotsu of Tsubame's adventure, his first reaction was this: "Why didn't she tell him who she was?"

"How would _you _react if some girl you've never even met before randomly announces that she is your daughter?" I asked, laughing a little to myself at how ridiculous the situation sounded.

Aikotsu chuckled. "I would say, 'I've been a busy boy!'"

We both laughed outright at that.

Afterwards, I wondered why Tsubame had chosen not to reveal her identity. Really. The Tsubame I know would have been itching to spill the beans to her father; one thing about my sister was that she was a gossip and seldom kept secrets well. So what had possessed her when she had met Bankotsu?

When I asked her, she said, "I got a feeling that the time wasn't right – you had to be there, big brother." I stared at her and she continued, abashed, "I don't know why I felt that way. It just came to me as I was looking at father."

I asked her: how had Bankotsu come across to her?

"Just like you, big brother. But it was like you had grown up overnight. I felt so very, very small and unimportant."

I thought: You'll never be unimportant to me, Tsubame.

It took very little weighing of the options for me to decide that it was time to go to Mount Hakurei again. This time I would penetrate the mountain and I would not return until Bankotsu was found. Even then, the situation felt dire, as if the opportunities were steadily running out.

I admit that I did not care about Shinigo at that time. If someone asked me about him, I would have said, "What's a Shinigo?" I did not register to me that Emi and the villagers had prepared a generous final banquet for me and my companions because of the events of the night before. I did not taste the food in my mouth because my mind was elsewhere but I assured the villagers that I had indeed been well-fed.

Bankotsu haunted my every thought. More so than ever before, I saw his silhouette in my mind's eye. Just like you, Tsubame had said. Who was I?

"Care if I come?" Aikotsu asked me suddenly. I wondered whether I had heard everything Aikotsu had said because his question didn't make sense.

I gave him an inquisitive look. He sighed.

"Look, I know you're planning to go to Mount Hakurei," he said as he reached for a peach from the various dishes before him. "Am I allowed to come too? I know my chain of love is broken, though I can still fight barehanded."

I hesitated, and the chopsticks I held over a bowl of rice I was devouring halted in midair. I had not thought of Aikotsu. He was, after all, Jakotsu's nephew. He would want to meet the Band of Seven too. But still… a niggling unresolved chord lay with Aikotsu's desire. Even though I liked him, I did not want him beside me.

I shook my head. "This is for Tsubame and I alone," I explained. "No offence to you, of course," I added hastily.

"Oh no, I understand," Aikotsu said, smiling. "After all, I'm rather apt to running the mood, aren't I? Although, I do want to tell you something."

"What is it?"

Aikotsu bit into his peach meditatively. Then he cleared his throat and said, "I told you before that my father and my uncle were estranged. The reason for this was that Jakotsu raped and killed my father's best friend."

"Best male friend?" I asked curiously.

"Yes." Aikotsu nodded. "Best male friend."

I tried, and failed, to _not_ mentally picture how Jakotsu managed that.

Aikotsu went on. "Jakotsu refused to commit ritual suicide to regain his honour and so he was shunned and erased from our family tree. The next thing that was heard of him was that he and Bankotsu had teamed together. It was their friendship that formed the basis of the Band of Seven."

I carefully digested these facts since I had not heard them before.

"All through my life," Aikotsu said, "My father always compared me to Jakotsu. By law, Jakotsu's name was not to be mentioned in our house, but whenever he was angry at me my father would beat me and say, 'You're like that filthy snake!'" (**A/N 'Jakotsu' literally means 'snake bone'.) **"When I heard that the Band of Seven had been resurrected, I ran away from home. I did not seek love from Jakotsu, which I think you seek from Bankotsu." He shook his head. "No, I sought love from a friend. And I thought going after the Band of Seven would help me with that."

"A friend…?" And instantly, I understood more about Aikotsu than I had ever known before. He too had been constantly cajoled and compared to a person he didn't even know. And his obsession with love – it was similar to the yearning that I had known!

But I had to ask something. "If you're like Jakotsu, does that mean you like men?"

"NO!" The horrified reaction was utterly genuine. "Sure, I'm a sadist, but I sure don't swing that way!"

Something about what Aikotsu said struck me as amusing. Only Aikotsu could say such things with such a frank expression. His lucidity was something I could count on.

"You know, Ai," I said, "I think you may be my best friend."

I looked at Aikotsu and smiled; and he smiled back. I felt a sense of relief. The bonds of brotherhood were now firmly tied.

After the meal, Tsubame and I left the village. Aikotsu and the villagers cheered 'Banzai' after us, which caused Tsubame to giggle and me to smile. It was Aikotsu who cheered the loudest, followed closely by Emi. Although I had not really spoken to Emi since the night before, she seemed to like me more than ever. If I wasn't so caught up about Bankotsu, I might have been touched at that.

Aikotsu had wanted to follow me to Mount Hakurei as a sign of his friendship but I had assured him that I would appreciate it more if he stayed to protect the village. Okikotsu's health was recovering abnormally quickly, and the village priestess told me he might be able to walk around, albeit with a slight limp, by evening. Aikotsu assured me that he would let nothing impede Okikotsu's recovery, and that gladdened me.

I also entrusted Choken under Aikotsu's care. I had attempted to hold it again before I left but I had as little success as ever. It seemed to me that only life-threatening situations could induce the strength to wield that Tsurugi. I was disappointed, but I recalled what Chisai had said about my muscular strength and was assured that Bankotsu would probably be impressed anyway. I was as pathetic as normal humans.

The path through the forest towards Mount Hakurei seemed longer and more silent than it needed to be. Tsubame was awfully solemn and her moods were infectious. It was difficult to lose the way what with Mount Hakurei standing so tall and pure in the distance. However, I was so deep in thought that it was a wonder that I had not gotten lost regardless.

The sun rose high in the sky from behind the mountain's peak like a beacon. We would reach the base by midday; goodness knows how long climbing the mountain might take.

I recalled the last time I had visited Mount Hakurei. Nothing had been there – and I had been too afraid to penetrate the deep fog and barrier then. But I would so it now. I would not allow myself to suffer those same feelings of bitter disappointment up there as I had felt yesterday.

Yet still, I sensed danger, as if the mountain, that elusive, nigh impregnable structure, sought to take something from me. An exchange, a price – but not something I would want to pay.

I wondered where all those ridiculous sentimentalities within me came from.

I felt nauseous and apprehensive when before I stepped onto the path leading up Mount Hakurei. But no doubt about it – the barrier was stronger than it had been earlier. I find it difficult to describe how one can feel the holiness in an area, but there was a prickling in my skin and I almost couldn't move. After walking further up the mountain, clutching Tsubame's pale hand tightly in my own sweaty palms, I found it a lot easier to take a barrier's presence into my stride; it soon ceased hindering my movements at all and I could walk naturally, even run.

While most mountains become steadily foggier the high in the climb, and the air gets thinner, it was a different circumstance at Mount Hakurei. Once past the barrier, the fog cleared up and the trail could easily be followed. There was still some fog but it seemed very wispy. At length, Tsubame let go of my hand, for as our vision improved, the climb became more difficult. There were some tricky ledges I had to aid Tsubame in scaling. At once point her yukata ripped at the bottom and she threw a tantrum. She was very proud of her little yellow yukata.

"Mother made me that yukata!" she wailed, and she sat down on the rocks, fuming. "It was the last yukata she ever made!"

"Well, let's just keep climbing the mountain and we'll see what we can do about it once we get down," I said to her.

I offered her a hand to help her to her feet but she refused to take it. "I want it mended now!" she exclaimed crossly. "I'm not going any higher!"

"Look, we don't have any needle and thread," I told her. Inwardly, I sighed. Though sweet and innocent, Tsubame was very stubborn and was used to getting her way. Mother and I never had the heart to refuse her the things she wanted when she was smaller.

Just as I had resigned myself to the long, wearisome task of changing Tsubame's mind, I heard footsteps and a voice. Just hearing the voice made my heart thump painfully in my torso so that I did not even needed to turn around to know who the speaker was.

"It's you again, pipsqueak! And you've brought your brother this time, eh?"

Very slowly, I twisted my body around. I breathed very deeply through my mouth, which I forgot to close until about a minute afterwards. Without any shadow of doubt, the man standing over me was my father.

Tsubame's description of Bankotsu had been accurate. I would have recognised Bankotsu among the largest crowd. He wasn't exactly like me; at one glance, I could see the differences. Although short for a man of his age, he towered over me. His arms and shoulders indicated brawn where mine indicated youth. My gaze flitted over to the Banryu that Bankotsu grasped loosely in his hands. I appreciated at once the majesty of the blade. I felt as if the Banryu emanated a strong aura of death – not quite demonic but very evil nonetheless. It suited Bankotsu to a T. Although there was nothing telling in his expression or in his body language, I knew I was looking at a man who knew death better than I did. Death was my acquaintance but it was also Bankotsu's best friend.

My father looked so young, I thought to myself. It was something I had not thought about earlier. Bankotsu was still in his teens. If anything, our age difference should have indicated that were brothers. But of course, Bankotsu had been dead for ten years. Time and aging did not affect him. Although he did not look like a corpse, he _was _a corpse. I suppose that should have bothered me but I wasn't thinking about that when I saw him.

I had been staring for a long time. I dimly realised that through all this time, Bankotsu had been staring at me.

At length, he spoke. Very quietly. "I knew it." A pause, in which I could hear the wind blow. "That girl made me suspect and seeing you, boy, makes me certain."

So he had figured it out. He was a smart one, that Bankotsu. My mouth went dry. Beside me, Tsubame fidgeted. "Father…" I heard her begin falteringly. How very, very awkward this was.

And then Bankotsu grinned. "I've been a busy boy," he said.

I thought about something Aikotsu had said earlier and snorted in laughter.


	6. I Renkotsu

**Chapter 6 Renkotsu**

From that moment on, being with Bankotsu was like catching up with an old friend. My tongue could not move fast enough, for suddenly, I felt as if there was so much I wanted to tell him, so much which I had kept inside of me for so long.

We sat down on the rocks and talked. Bankotsu asked many questions and I answered most of them since Tsubame was too overcome with emotion to respond adequately. I too was feeling emotional but I did not weep like my sister did. I only felt this surge of euphoria within me, a great ball of happiness which could not deflate.

I could write pages on what I spoke about with Bankotsu; it meant so much to me. But I shall briefly answer the chief questions that I asked, and so describe Bankotsu's story.

The points were these:

A demon named Naraku came into the Seven Man Mound and had resurrected Bankotsu with the aid of an object which gave him much power known as the Jewel of Four Souls. Bankotsu showed me shards of this sacred jewel in his neck and also those embedded in his Banryu. He and the other members of the Band of Seven were to manifest these powers themselves and use it to destroy a half-demon named Inuyasha as well as other various enemies of Naraku. Kyokotsu, Mukotsu, Ginkotsu and Suikotsu had fallen in their attempts; their shards now belonged to Bankotsu.

Naturally, all this took me a while to digest. I had not heard of a 'Inuyasha', although I did know of Naraku. Who didn't? I suspected he was known throughout all of Japan as a Shogun among demons, so to speak. Why such a figure as he would go out of his way to enlist the aid of dead mercenaries was beyond me. And what of Mount Hakurei? A demon such as Naraku would be purified by the holy barrier!

I asked Bankotsu. He didn't know. "Ask Naraku," he said.

"You're not a very inquisitive sort of guy, are you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I'm not."

Another thing I learned from Bankotsu was how he had handled the Banryu. He confirmed Chisai's account, although he knew nothing of hate energy. "If you make a wish on the Banryu and slay multitudes with it, that wish will be granted," was all Chisai had said to him. And from the moment made a wish to slay a thousand humans and demons with the Banryu, he was able to use it quite efficiently.

I resolved to make a wish on Choken the moment I was reunited with the blade, but for the moment, my sword was the least of my worries.

My father was with me; that was all that mattered.

I suppose I had always felt some kind of yearning if I ever saw a child with his father. Because I had missed out on all of that. But I knew of my father and for many years, that was enough.

Bankotsu accepted his newfound parenthood easily. Almost too easily. Bankotsu, I suppose, was one who accepted circumstances as they came. One who lives and sees the world but does not question his own purpose… or how his actions would affect others. It was a naïve outlook on life.

There was so much I wanted to say.

Bankotsu, could I ever, truly consider you my father? I know I could never lean on you in a dependent child-like way. What hope would there be of that?

Save that talk for later, I thought to myself.

Just then, I heard a buzzing sound. I turned my head inquisitively and saw a large insect coming towards us. Tsubame had seen them in her earlier meeting with Bankotsu. They were exactly as she had described.

The insect was carrying something that sparkled dimly in the moonlight. The object was dropped into Bankotsu's outstretched hand. He momentarily forgot Tsubame and me and stared at what he now held. It was an unadorned hair pin. "Jakotsu's," he murmured.

The insect hummed a bit.

"He's dead, isn't he?" Bankotsu said flatly.

The insect hummed some more. Tsubame and I glanced at each other.

"Who killed him?" I asked. "Inuyasha?"

Bankotsu answered in a low voice, "Renkotsu."

I was utterly taken aback.

Tsubame responded first: "How is that possible? Why would one of your brothers go out and kill Jakotsu?"

Bankotsu looked up and turned his head sideways, gazing at me. His expression was pained. "Don't you think I've asked myself that?" it seemed to say. Then it changed to a more relaxed countenance. No, not relaxed but calm – calm fury.

"I suspected Renkotsu was up to something," he told me at length. "This comes as no surprise: he'll have to be punished."

I was silent as I heard this. As I saw Bankotsu put his Banryu aside and sit down meditatively on a large rock, I finally began to notice how human he actually was. The energy had vanished from his face, replaced by a calm resolve. What he must have been thinking about, I wouldn't know, but despite the fact that he had lost his best friend, he did not lose his will to live; not an ounce of determination was lost. This was a man who did not believe in fear or despair.

"Chokotsu," he said suddenly. He did not look up.

"Yes, Bankotsu?"

"You know," he said, "there is only one thing which I consider to be a crime in this world. Go on; ask me what it is."

"What is it?"

He laughed – hollowly. "Abusing trust," he explained.

I said nothing to this. He looked at me inquisitively and then went on.

"People trust each other with their possessions, with their lives. But I'm a mercenary; I'm trusted to kill. As for the Band of Seven, they are my brothers. Renkotsu is my second-in-command. When he and I sort out our differences, I will avenge his death by taking Inuyasha's life."

"So you're going to kill Renkotsu?" I asked.

He answered without hesitation. "Of course."

He still considered Renkotsu his brother despite what he had done.

Nobody said anything for a long moment, then, "Renkotsu is coming. You two – hide. I don't want you getting in the way."

Deciding I had better do what Bankotsu said, I took hold of Tsubame's hand and dragged her over to a cover a respectable distance away. The rock we hid behind was roughly twenty feet away from where Bankotsu sat. He had his eyes closed, almost in a state of tranquillity. Bankotsu did that a lot. It was, perhaps, his way of focusing on his surroundings with senses other than sight. He could hear things miles away.

Tsubame opened her mouth to say something but I shushed her. I kept my eyes ahead at the cave entrance of Mount Hakurei.

I saw Renkotsu appear. He crawled out of the entrance slowly and when he caught sight Bankotsu, his eyes widened. Bankotsu must have heard him shuffling about but his facial expression did not change. He opened his eyes and turned his head around, facing Renkotsu.

"Oh, so you're still alive, Renkotsu."

"Yes," said Renkotsu.

He began to approach Bankotsu.

Renkotsu was tall; not as stocky as Bankotsu but certainly better built. He was older; in every way, the stronger-looking member of the Band of Seven. He evidently must have thought the same, judging by his apparent actions. His eyes were shrewd, narrow, and he carried some type of weapon which I had never seen before. A slender black barrel; like one of the guns used by the Daimyo's men but much bigger and broader. I wondered what it was.

Renkotsu had a frown on his face. It was so obvious that he was planning on killing Bankotsu. Tsubame held her breath and my arm. I remained still, for I had faith in Bankotsu.

He looked so bored, even when his hand shot up and, without even looking, he pierced Renkotsu's neck. Nimbly, his hand withdrew two purple jewel shards from there.

"That's two. So…" His fist closed around the shards. He stood up. "Right… right… you still have one more, don't you?"

"Damn you!" Renkotsu spluttered.

"You know," said Bankotsu, "for a smart guy, you sure can be stupid. You kept plotting and planning but you waited too long to act."

Angry and shrinking away slightly, Renkotsu demanded, "Will you kill me?"

"Well, what should I do?" He held up Jakotsu's hair pin. "After all," he went on, his eyes growing cold, "you killed Jakotsu for his sacred jewel shard."

"Who the hell are you to talk?!" Renkotsu shouted. Like a cornered rat, he began to show his aggressive side. "In the end, all that counts is power! And the more shards you have, the stronger you become!"

Bankotsu laughed.

"What's so funny about that?! Don't forget that you have sacred jewel shards in your body too, big brother! And you used us to get them for you!"

Something about that remark seemed to dampen Bankotsu's mood. But he controlled his ire and said coldly, "Let's put your theory to the test."

"What do you mean?"

"Here." He gave back Renkotsu's sacred jewel shards. Renkotsu's ferocity momentarily dissipated and he looked questioningly at Bankotsu.

Although he was smiling, Bankotsu's eyes still looked frighteningly cold. "Take them," he said. "What's the problem?"

I suppose Renkotsu suspected a trap. He glanced at Banryu.

"Oh, don't worry. I won't even use Banryu."

Renkotsu was cornered. Somewhat reluctantly, he placed the jewel shards back in his neck.

"Now I will demonstrate how different you and I actually are," said Bankotsu.

I could only see their sides but the body language of the two men spoke volumes. Bankotsu could only look Renkotsu directly in the eye because he was standing on a higher rock but even so, Renkotsu could not meet his gaze. He backed away while Bankotsu stood straight and proud.

"Well, what're you waiting for?" Bankotsu called out to him. "Let's do it. If you won't attack, then I'll come at you first!"

I saw the scream coming a mile away. Utterly panicked, Renkotsu got to his back foot and shot something out of his weapon. As I had surmised, it was like a gun, but so much more powerful and probably more accurate. If Renkotsu had not looked scared witless, his weapon would have made for a very intimidating thing. There was a lot of gunpowder in it and it smashed apart the rocks as if they were brittle.

But Bankotsu avoided the hit with ease. In a moment he was in front of Renkotsu, right in front of his nose.

"Die!" Renkotsu screamed, and he shot again and again. His aim was poor, the calculating part of nature overran by physical fear. Bankotsu, cool as a cucumber, saw each attack coming and evaded the strikes. Again, he ended up in front of Renkotsu, close enough to strangle the bastard. But he only lowered Renkotsu's weapon with a firm push with his hand.

"What's the matter, Renkotsu? Your aim's not so good."

He was toying with Renkotsu and Renkotsu could see it. Frustrated, afraid, he backed away a few more paces and ended up tripping over his own feet.

Now he was looking _up _at Bankotsu.

"Now what? Your balance isn't so good, either?" Bankotsu's voice was dripping with contempt. "Get on your feet so that I can kill you."

Bankotsu was even scaring me.

"Damn it!" Renkotsu yelled. He managed to regain his footing. The fear was gone. He had come to the stage where the only thing he could do was fight. There was nowhere else to run.

I couldn't see what Renkotsu was doing because Bankotsu was in the way but the next moment…

BOOM!

"Get down, Tsubame!" I hissed, shoving her head down.

Renkotsu had breathed fire! The rock covered us from getting burned, but the smoke that came with the fire threatened to choke me. I kept my eyes down. The flames were all around me and I didn't want to get smoke in my eyes. Somewhere, I heard Renkotsu exclaim something in relief and then there was a reply:

"Oh yeah? Well, think again!"

Renkotsu let loose an ugly scream.

Tsubame's face was pressed tightly against my check and I felt her eyes begin to water. I held my breath and waited.

Renkotsu sounded like he was in pain. I was glad I couldn't see him. "What is it?" he gasped out in anguish. "Tell me. How is what I've done any different from what you are doing now?!"

I suppose those were the last words Renkotsu ever uttered. Coolly, mercilessly, Bankotsu slew his brother. I looked up to see Bankotsu clenching Renkotsu's shards in his fist.

"The difference is," he said slowly, "I would never betray my friends."

At that moment, the fires around me vanished. Renkotsu was dead so the fire no longer took effect. Darkness came once more. I felt cold.

"How sad," I heard Bankotsu said. I got to my feet. "It seems that I'm the only one left."

He didn't sound so sad. Though not particularly happy, either.

Tsubame coughed and rubbed her eyes. I held her close to me.

The insect that had delivered Jakotsu's hair pin to Bankotsu picked up another one of Renkotsu's jewel shards off the ground and gave it to Bankotsu.

"I know," Bankotsu said to it. "I've got things to finish."

He walked to the Banryu and heaved it over his shoulder.

I helped Tsubame get up. She looked tired. It was no wonder; it was night now. She had been up since the crack of dawn.

I felt as if something irrevocable had just taken place. Glancing towards Renkotsu, I saw that though his body was clothed, he had no skin; his body was nothing but a skeleton. It seemed as if without Naraku's jewel shards, the members of the Band of Seven could no longer function as animate beings. If I was to take Bankotsu's shards from him, he would end up in the same way as Renkotsu. Even the living dead could not walk forever.

"This will be the final battle for the Band of Seven," I heard Bankotsu state. Calmly.

So he was going into the mountain. The night felt so cold.

At that moment Tsubame happened to regain her voice.

"What about us? We're your children!"

Bankotsu disappeared in the mist. He had not heard her.

"Come on!" she exclaimed. "Let's follow him."

"No," I said.

She stopped.

"No?"

"No," I said, nodding.

She blinked. "Why? Haven't you been chasing after him since the beginning, big brother?"

Inside of me, I felt many complicated emotions which I didn't myself understand. But one thing was for certain. "It was never to be."

Tsubame looked confused. I wondered how I ought to explain it.

I settled for stating it bluntly. "He's dead." I sat down and stared and stared at Renkotsu's bones. _He's just like him_, I thought as I gazed at the hollow, lifeless holes where Renkotsu's eyes would have been had he had them.

Bankotsu knew himself that he was going to die. He knew that he would not ever descend from Mount Hakurei. He had lived once and as far as he was concerned, the second time was just a bonus. (Even so, I thought, he had died young.) He wanted to go down fighting, like a man. It was never his intention to take care of me. I realised that watching him fight Renkotsu. The contempt he had held for his brother's cowardice was strong. Bankotsu would rather avenge his friends than betray their memory for me.

What would happen if I followed Bankotsu? Was that a path that was open to me?

Maybe Bankotsu was assured, knowing that there was someone who could continue in the way of the mercenary after him. Tsubame and I were his only links to the world of the living. Maybe he was happy in that.

The best thing to do, I decided, was to get off the mountain as quickly as possible. It wouldn't do to sleep here.

For the last time, I examined Renkotsu's person. Jakotsu's hairpin was stuck in his torso. Gingerly, I pulled it out and stared at it. It would be a nice souvenir for Aikotsu, I thought to myself. Then I weighed Renkotsu's gun in my hand. Who knows? Maybe Okikotsu might like that.

"Eek!" Tsubame squealed suddenly. I swung around. The large insect was buzzing around her as if scrutinising her. Reflexively, I tossed Jakotsu's hair pin at it and the blow connected. The insect fell from the air.

"Eek!" Tsubame screamed again. And I looked up.

A swarm of demons were descending towards us from the summit of Mount Hakurei.


	7. I Tsubame

**Chapter 7 Tsubame**

Adrenaline seized me. Were the demons coming towards us? There was no doubt they were. When demons grouped together into one swarm, it generally meant that they were in the hunt. And there were quite a few of them; I could not pick out any individual species among the horde. Yet one thing I grasped: none of them looked friendly.

I had no time to wonder how so many demons could be on Mount Hakurei. "Tsubame!" I exclaimed urgently. "Into the cave – hide!"

Tsubame darted into the cave Bankotsu had entered. I was about to follow her when I heard a loud crashing noise above me and gazed sharply upwards. The demons, drawing near, had bumped roughly against the cliff face as they descended the mountain. The top part of the cliff, which had probably been on the verge of collapse, simply broke off from the cliff and fell dangerously. I stumbled backwards. If I ran for the cave, I would be crushed beneath the falling rocks.

When the rocks landed noisily on the ground, a choking veil of dust filled the air. I fell on my bottom and raised my arms protectively, screwing my eyes shut. I felt something sharp sear my arm briefly; my eyes watered and I wanted to sneeze. Remembering that the demons were close by, I hastily reopened my eyes and took stock of my surroundings.

The fallen rocks completely blocked the entrance to the cave. My arm was bleeding because a smaller rock and bounced up and hit it. I hoped nothing similar or worse had happened to Tsubame.

The demons flew by, ignoring me for the most part. I suppose just one boy didn't look too appetising to them. Yet about five of them did take notice of me and flew down towards me. They were winged demons with purple, coarse skin and with bull-like heads. Their sinewy arms were accompanied by razor-sharp claws and hoofed feet.

This was annoying. I was unarmed, separated from Tsubame and there was no Bankotsu with his Banryu to save me. I clicked my tongue in frustration. There had to be something I could do.

My eyes fell on Renkotsu's discarded gun. I was unsure of how to use it but it sure looked like better than nothing. I picked it up hastily.

How to load the darn thing?

Never mind, I thought. There was probably some ammunition already inside. The trigger, a small black button located at the base of the gun, was to be squeezed with my right hand. I had not detected it at first but since panic had caused my hands to perform actions quicker than they normally did, I pressed the button without quite knowing what I had done or what would happen.

My luck was remarkable. Renkotsu had created a weapon that even a child could manipulate. The gun shot something that looked very painful to be hit with, although my first shot missed the demons completely. But only narrowly. The aiming of Renkotsu's gun was very accurate.

Recalling how Renkotsu had not succeeded in hitting Bankotsu with his gun because of his panicking, I decided to take a deep breath and stood back. Taking careful aim at the closest demon, I squeezed the trigger and fired. The demon silently fell. I knew immediately that it had died. Emboldened by my success, I aimed at the next demon and fired. This time, nothing happened.

My heart sank within my torso. Inwardly, I groaned. It was out of ammunition! Renkotsu's backpack surely had some but finding it and figuring out how to put it in was beyond my mental capacity. I didn't have time! The demons were coming and they seemed extra aggravated for the pot-shots I had taken at them.

Before I could think of another way of handling the situation, I saw something in the corner of my vision. I almost missed it. If I had not seen one of the demons stumble and hit the ground, I would not have noticed the familiar grey chain that had been the cause.

I turned my head around once, looking. Could it be? "Aikotsu!" I yelled out.

He had arrived with Okikotsu behind me. A burst of euphoria and a general sense of relief overcame me. My friends had come for me, hadn't they? I watched Aikotsu entrap another demon with the chain of love. Okikotsu stood at his full, impressive height and snuffed the other demons with his powerful hands. I didn't know how they got here or anything else, for that matter. But still, it felt somewhat good to have help by my side.

With the demons safely annihilated, Aikotsu casually slung his weapon over his shoulder and regarded me in a very Bankotsu-like fashion. "You were late," he explained. "It got dark, so we decided to look for you."

I nodded. "Thanks, guys."

"No problem," Aikotsu smiled. "We didn't want to miss out on any fun."

While Tsubame and I had been up on the mountain conversing with Bankotsu's Aikotsu's story had been brief and simple. He had stayed at the village and had repaired the chain of love while Okikotsu steadily recovered. And then, when night came, he had looked up at Mount Hakurei and had noticed that the barrier had been removed.

"It was very easy to tell," he related to me. "All the fog had vanished. Also, you should have seen the number of demons storming down from the mountaintop. I'm surprised more didn't chase you."

"They're headed somewhere, I think." I took an opportunity to look around for more demons. There were none in sight. Before now, they must have been hiding behind the barrier until someone had taken it down. It must have had something to do with Bankotsu entering the cave, I thought. All the weird people Bankotsu had mentioned to me before must be inside with him. Within Mount Hakurei, more must be going on for things to be noticed on the outside. A great battle, perhaps…

Tsubame was inside!

"We've got to hurry," I said. "We've got to get inside the mountain – Tsubame might be in danger! Okikotsu, can you move these rocks?" I pointed to the rocks that had fallen outside the cave entrance. They were the size of small boulders.

Okikotsu grunted and wordlessly set to work. I noticed his muscles straining as he applied his inhuman strength. The rocks began to move. I felt a little better watching that but not much. Inside, I was kicking myself. What had I done? I had been trying to protect Tsubame but instead shoved her into the unknown to her peril. How frightened she must have been when the rocks had separated us! I should have kept her with me. Now I had to stay on the mountain longer to retrieve her.

I might see Bankotsu again…

No! I should my head. No! It wasn't going to happen.

"I take it," Aikotsu said slowly, "that you met Bankotsu, leader of the Band of Seven?"

I looked at him. He had read my mind. Aikotsu must have been dying to know what had happened to me. "Yes," I replied. "I did meet him."

"What was he like?"

"As I thought he would be." I smiled. "Extremely cool."

"But he left you, right?"

"It couldn't be helped."

At that moment, Okikotsu let out his heaviest grunt and pushed the final rock aside. The entrance to the cave was now open. After thanking Okikotsu for his efforts, we briskly stepped inside.

The walls were dark. From deep within, I could hear strange noises. I stopped and perked my ears, listening intently. It sounded like fighting. But from where? It came from one place, I was sure, but the sounds appeared to be coming from all directions, such was the effects of the echoing.

My heart beat faster and I stepped further within. Where could Tsubame be?

The noises seemed to sound louder. There were indiscernible voices as well as what sounded like the wind howling within the mountain. I wondered what was going on. Like me, Tsubame must have felt curious and as a result wandered deeper inside. Damn her.

Suddenly, I felt dizzy. The world around me, the close proximity of the walls, were shifting. An eruption? An earthquake?

Aikotsu looked outside and came back to report what was going on. "The mountain is collapsing!"

I didn't know how that was possible. First the barrier going down, then the demons, now _this_. What on earth was happening to Mount Hakurei?!

"Quickly!" Aikotsu exclaimed sternly yet calmly. "We've got to get out of here!"

Looking up at the ceiling, I noticed some small bits of rubble fall down as the passageway continued to sway.

"What about Tsubame?" I demanded. "She's still in here!"

I didn't turn around to look at Aikotsu, knowing that all I would come to face with was his worried expression.

I heard his anxious-sounding voice. "No! There's no time!"

"Shut up!" I growled. "I must go deeper!"

Didn't my friends understand?

I was about to leave them when I noticed Okikotsu step up next to me. He raised his hand to my head and the world fell black.

* * *

I woke up just as dawn broke.

Aikotsu hung over me, peering at my face anxiously.

I was about to ask him where I was when I figured it out just by looking around me. I was several miles from the base of Mount Hakurei. I was lying on the grass, trees overhanging, and Aikotsu and Okikotsu were at my side. Gazing up, I saw the mountain and it was still in the final stages of falling.

It was a transfixing sight. Huge segments of rocks cascaded down the mountain's top, coming to rest at a heap at the bottom. It looked like a mighty animal was shedding its skin, only it wasn't natural. It was destruction. Well, I suppose that was natural, but to me, watching a mountain, one of the things on earth most like a god, fall into chaos and destruction, it was one of the least natural things I had ever seen. Full-blown human wars could not compare to the sight of Mount Hakurei breathing its last.

The dust began to settle and no more rocks fell. I noticed that the pile of fallen rocks differed from being a mountain: it no longer reached out to the heavens. Never again would this part of the earth be a mountain and exude an atmosphere of holiness and tranquillity.

Mount Hakurei was no more.

I heard myself muttering, "Why? Why? Why?"

* * *

Okikotsu had saved my life by knocking me out and carrying me down the mountain. But now I had to return to the former Mount Hakurei. My heavy heart was drawn to it, as it had always been.

I was looking for Tsubame. Everywhere amongst the rubble I searched, and as the day matured and the sun rose high into the sky, I felt my own spirits refuse to heighten or lower. I did not dare believe I would not find her. I forced myself to concentrate on but one thought as I overturned each rock and found no living thing:

"The next one... The next one... The next one..."


	8. I Choken

Happy birthday, kittyb78! This chapter is for you! I hope you have a good day today!

**Chapter 8 Choken**

The demons that had emerged from Mount Hakurei were on a killing spree. They were roaming the countryside looking for humans in healthy numbers they could pick off. Any village or establishment was in danger.

I discovered this when I returned to the village with Aikotsu and Okikotsu and found the place was populated by dead bodies. The demons had left no survivors. It was ironical. The village which I had fought hard to save from a half-demon was now decimated by demons anyway.

During the entire return journey, Aikotsu had been as silent as Okikotsu. As we set to work burying the villagers, he spoke his first words.

"I'm sorry, Cho."

"It's not your fault," I told him.

He didn't believe me. "If I had not gone after you, I could have protected these people and you might not have been separated from your sister. So I'm sorry."

"You can't change anything. What's done is done. No use crying over spilt milk."

And we left it at that.

Once the villagers had been buried, we set about looking for Choken. I was starting to feel a bit tired because of all that had happened recently but I didn't want to sleep. I had things to do.

Aikotsu had left Choken at the village because if Okikotsu had carried it with him, it would have encumbered him. Aikotsu had trusted the villagers to take care of the sword. For people who had managed not to take care of their own lives, they did a remarkable good job keeping Choken in good condition. Or maybe it was because demons couldn't eat swords. Regardless, the Tsurugi had been kept in a secure bracket at the town hall. Most of it was in shambles but Choken was untouched. More irony there.

I took hold of Choken, made a wish and pulled it out of the bracket. I could not feel its weight anymore, which indicated that Bankotsu had been right about the matter.

"Wow, Cho, you did it!" Aikotsu exclaimed. "How do you feel?"

"Not as good as I should be after doing this," I admitted ruefully. "There was a time when this would have excited me."

Aikotsu nodded. "I guess we've changed as people and didn't really notice. I sure didn't… until now."

"Except for Okikotsu," I pointed out. "He seems about the same."

The giant remained silent.

"Okikotsu, I want to ask you a question," I said, facing him. I wondered whether he would reply.

He was silent for a long moment, leading me to assume that he had forgotten how to speak. Then he asked quietly, "What is it?"

"Did you know that Tsubame loved you?" It was a question which I had always wanted to ask but which I didn't because Okikotsu had seemed so unapproachable. But now that Tsubame was dead, I went ahead and asked the question in her memory, knowing that she too would have wanted to know the answer.

Okikotsu seemed a bit glum. "I did not know about that," he replied.

Aikotsu muttered something which sounded distinctly like "Oblivious!"

"That," I answered, smiling sadly within, "is a pity. Tsubame would have wanted you to know. She perceived that you don't have a place in this world right now and she wanted to give you one. She wanted it to be that you felt at home with us."

I recalled the conversation I had had with Tsubame at the river. It was only now that every single memory I had ever had of Tsubame came upon me, breaking the dam in my consciousness. It all seemed so surreal.

"Okikotsu, do you want to go back to your master Chisai?" I asked.

He regarded me, stony-faced.

"I want to stay with you," he said.

That was good, I thought. Okikotsu was strong. I could get used to him. Even though looking at his face reminded me of Tsubame, just like everything did.

There is not much to say from here. Aikotsu, Okikotsu and I began to travel the countryside, lending our swords to villages that were in danger from the increased demon attacks. Humans were weak and we all agreed that killing them wouldn't do our skills much good.

I guess you could say I became happy. Life became full of action and colour each day. At the very least, as time passed, Tsubame's silhouette faded more and more in my mind, although I could never forget her completely. Call it heartlessness if you will, but deep down, I knew that something inside me had died on Mount Hakurei. When I was with Tsubame, I became the person I wanted to be; I became a brother. But gone as she was, I felt the image of who I wanted to be also blur and as I grew older without her, so too did I drift away from true brotherhood. Aikotsu and Okikotsu became my brothers, but to me, life never quite progressed the same way.

It was because we were travellers that we always managed to hear rumours about Naraku. But though the people were fearful because of the tough times and Naraku's obscenity, they would also reveal the shining hope that invariably set humans apart from demons.

"Have you heard the exploits of Inuyasha the half-demon and his friends? He is very strong; if we wait, he will take down Naraku with that sword he has. What do they call it? Tetsusaiga, that's it."

Now that I was able to readily wield it, Choken gradually became to me as Banryu was to Bankotsu. I was able to take down any number of demons with Choken and as I grew stronger with the blade, this only became more apparent. To this day, I have not told anyone of the wish I made upon Choken as I drew it. There's no real possibility I'd forget it. Nevertheless, I will write down here what I wished.

I wished to become a stronger mercenary than Bankotsu.

If the rumours I had heard about Inuyasha were true, then it was possible that he had killed my father. And if I, in turn, killed Inuyasha, I would surpass my father. Then he could rest in peace, for the Band of Seven would be avenged and there was someone who could carry on after him in his footsteps.

But before any of that could happen, before the sweet day could come, I needed to train.

* * *

**Author's Note: **This marks the end of Part One. I guess it had a weird ending, what with Tsubame dead and Bankotsu gone and Chokotsu off wanting to kill Inuyasha. More than anything, this entire part is the build-up to the real action. I don't think I'll be posting for a while, mostly because I want to take the time to approach Part Two in the proper way.

I hope you have enjoyed this story. I did it to write OCs and see whether it was possible to write appealing OCs. I hope you like them as much as I do. I personally liked Shinigo, even though he was only in it for one chapter. Who did you like?

Well, anyway, I'll be seeing you around, maybe in another one of my stories. Ja ne!


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